Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC Buys Shares of 7,333 Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group disclosed a new first-quarter stake in Union Pacific, buying 7,333 shares worth about $1.78 million.
• Union Pacific reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $2.93 per share on revenue of $6.22 billion, with revenue up 3.2% from a year earlier.
• Analysts remain generally constructive: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating and a consensus price target of $293.33, while the company also pays a quarterly dividend yielding about 1.9%.

Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 7,333 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,779,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,329,262 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $13,724,045,000 after acquiring an additional 659,378 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,330,080 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $6,090,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,082,285 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 92.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $4,658,142,000 after purchasing an additional 9,655,306 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $3,552,550,000 after purchasing an additional 296,814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,636,050 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,922,971,000 after purchasing an additional 602,647 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.8%

Union Pacific stock opened at $289.26 on Tuesday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $269.62 and its 200-day moving average is $254.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $210.84 and a 1 year high of $290.41. The company has a market cap of $171.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.83, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.96.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is presently 45.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Stephens raised shares of Union Pacific to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Benchmark upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $274.00 price objective (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Union Pacific from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Susquehanna reiterated a "positive" rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $293.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total value of $549,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 114,642 shares in the company, valued at $31,492,157.40. The trade was a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Profile

Union Pacific Corporation NYSE: UNP is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific's core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two‑thirds of the United States.

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