Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Acquired by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Key Points

• Janney Montgomery Scott increased its Union Pacific stake by 3% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 226,573 shares valued at approximately $61.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.38% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Union Pacific receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $320.89. Several firms recently raised their targets, including Citigroup to $349 and Citizens JMP, which initiated coverage with a $350 target.
• Union Pacific beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $3.41 in EPS and $6.86 billion in revenue, while revenue rose 11.5% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.42, implying an annualized yield of about 1.9%.

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 3.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 226,573 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 6,553 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $61,628,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 10.0% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 7.4% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $350.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $320.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $304.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $326.00 to $349.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $301.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $320.89.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $293.57 on Monday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $283.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $265.37. The firm has a market cap of $174.40 billion, a PE ratio of 23.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.96. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $210.84 and a 12-month high of $315.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.85% and a return on equity of 38.46%. Union Pacific's revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.03 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be paid a $1.42 dividend. This is a boost from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.70%.

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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