Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Acquired by Axxcess Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its Union Pacific stake by 91.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with 43,840 shares valued at about $10.1 million.
• Union Pacific reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, with EPS of $2.93 versus estimates of $2.86 and revenue of $6.22 billion, up 3.2% from a year earlier.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, payable June 30, for an annualized yield of about 2.1%; analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $280.47.

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 91.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,840 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 20,980 shares during the quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $10,141,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 40.4% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $546,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $4,741,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.6% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $859,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 10.0% in the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,401,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 7.4% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,528,426 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $351,660,000 after acquiring an additional 105,664 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $265.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $157.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.99. The stock's fifty day moving average is $253.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $243.82. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $210.84 and a fifty-two week high of $276.40.

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

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total transaction of $7,442,691.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares in the company, valued at $16,605,079.52. This represents a 30.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, 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 Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on UNP. Benchmark raised their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $289.00 target price (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and set a $285.00 price target (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $274.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $280.47.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.