Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Sold by Savant Capital LLC

Key Points

• Savant Capital LLC cut its Union Pacific stake by 32.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 12,542 shares and leaving it with 26,188 shares valued at about $6.06 million.
• Union Pacific’s planned merger with Norfolk Southern is still alive after the Surface Transportation Board accepted a revised application, but regulators have signaled more scrutiny and a potentially longer approval process.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.93 versus $2.86 expected and revenue of $6.22 billion, while also declaring a $1.38 quarterly dividend.

Savant Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 32.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,188 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 12,542 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $6,058,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Stephens Consulting LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 48.4% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 135 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 1,349 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,186 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $753,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,154,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keebeck Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 2,691 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $636,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Union Pacific

Here are the key news stories impacting Union Pacific this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The STB did accept Union Pacific’s revised merger application, which keeps the transaction alive and moves it one step forward in the regulatory process. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Brookfield Infrastructure may benefit from divestitures if the merger eventually proceeds, since regulators are expected to require sales of regional lines, yards, or equipment. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern said they will work with regulators and continue pushing the case for creating the first transcontinental railroad. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The STB’s pause signals more regulatory friction, extending the approval timeline and increasing uncertainty around whether the merger will close on the company’s preferred schedule. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: CN publicly backed the regulator’s decision to freeze the review, arguing Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern still haven’t met the higher standard needed to justify the deal. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Benchmark raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $274.00 price objective (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised 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, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $280.47.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the completion of 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total value of $469,625.07. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,386 shares of company stock worth $8,461,716. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $262.83 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $156.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $256.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $245.56. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $210.84 and a 1-year high of $279.70.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.70 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.47%.

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.

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