Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Sold by Sapient Capital LLC

Key Points

• Sapient Capital reduced its Union Pacific stake by 9.3% in the first quarter, selling 6,820 shares and retaining 66,753 shares valued at approximately $16.2 million.
• Institutional investors own 80.38% of Union Pacific, while EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares for about $789,500; insiders retain just 0.22% ownership.
• Union Pacific reported quarterly EPS of $3.41 and revenue of $6.86 billion, beating estimates, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average $320.89 price target. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.42 per share.

Sapient Capital LLC lowered its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 9.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 66,753 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 6,820 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $16,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $859,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 10.0% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,401,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 7.4% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,528,426 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $351,660,000 after purchasing an additional 105,664 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the business'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 value of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNP. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $294.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $335.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 13th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $326.00 to $349.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $310.00 price target (up from $286.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $320.89.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.1%

UNP opened at $291.83 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $277.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $260.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $173.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.63, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.96. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $210.84 and a fifty-two week high of $315.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.85% and a return on equity of 38.46%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.03 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.9 earnings per share 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 issued a $1.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This is an increase from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is 44.70%.

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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