Premier Fund Managers Ltd Has $38.24 Million Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Premier Fund Managers Ltd cut its stake in Union Pacific by 16.9% in Q4 to 164,022 shares worth $38.24 million, making UNP its 6th-largest holding (about 2.2% of the fund).
• Company insiders sold a total of 31,386 shares (~$8.46 million) over the past three months, including EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker's sale of 27,387 shares for roughly $7.44 million.
• Analysts are broadly constructive on UNP with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $279.55, while several firms raised targets (Wells Fargo to $300, TD Cowen to $282, Evercore to $277).

Premier Fund Managers Ltd decreased its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 16.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 164,022 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 33,440 shares during the period. Union Pacific comprises about 2.2% of Premier Fund Managers Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Premier Fund Managers Ltd's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $38,237,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 40.4% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $4,741,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.6% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $859,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 10.0% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,401,000 after buying an additional 554 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 7.4% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,528,426 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $351,660,000 after buying an additional 105,664 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value of $7,442,691.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,605,079.52. This trade represents a 30.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNP. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $277.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $300.00 price objective (up from $260.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $267.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $279.55.

Union Pacific Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $268.46 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $159.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.99. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $210.84 and a 12-month high of $274.79. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $252.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. Union Pacific's revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.70 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Union Pacific

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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