Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Sold by Violich Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Violich Capital Management cut its stake in Union Pacific by 12.8% in Q4, selling 4,610 shares and leaving 31,455 shares valued at about $7.28 million, roughly 0.8% of the firm's portfolio and its 27th-largest holding.
• Company insiders sold a total of 31,386 shares (~$8.46 million) in the last 90 days, led by EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker who sold 27,387 shares for about $7.44 million and EVP Eric J. Gehringer who sold 1,999 shares for roughly $469,625.
• Fundamentals and sentiment: Union Pacific beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $2.93 and revenue of $6.22 billion, and analysts have raised price targets (average target ~$279.55) with a consensus leaning toward "Buy"/"Moderate Buy."

Violich Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 12.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 31,455 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 4,610 shares during the period. Union Pacific comprises approximately 0.8% of Violich Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Violich Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $7,276,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of UNP. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. High Point Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 48.4% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 135 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $265.10 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $252.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $240.37. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $210.84 and a 1-year high of $274.79. 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 market cap of $157.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.70 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $315.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $300.00 target price (up from $260.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $274.00 target price (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $279.55.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total value of $469,625.07. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the sale, 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Company 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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