Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A. Invests $9.56 Million in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A. opened a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter, buying 41,334 shares worth about $9.56 million. The stake makes UNP about 3.1% of the fund’s holdings.
• Union Pacific reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.93 beating estimates and revenue of $6.22 billion also topping expectations. Revenue rose 3.2% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally positive on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $280.47. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, payable June 30.

Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 41,334 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $9,561,000. Union Pacific accounts for about 3.1% of Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A.'s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Stephens Consulting LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Macroview Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 1,349 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% during the third quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,186 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $753,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,154,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Keebeck Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% during the third quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 2,691 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $636,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $315.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $285.00 target price (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $274.00 target price (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $267.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $280.47.

Union Pacific Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $266.01 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $253.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $243.35. The company has a market cap of $157.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.99. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $210.84 and a fifty-two week high of $276.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92.

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

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific's payout ratio is currently 45.47%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,492,157.40. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716 over the last 90 days. Corporate 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.

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.