Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Acquired by Ironvine Capital Partners LLC

Ironvine Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 117.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 186,641 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 100,701 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific makes up about 4.3% of Ironvine Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Ironvine Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $43,174,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the 2nd 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 grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $859,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 554 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 105,664 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were 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 directly owned 114,642 shares of the company’s stock, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at $11,353,447.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,377 shares of company stock worth $9,251,221. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $307.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $277.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.21.

Union Pacific Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $272.37 on Friday. 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 Corporation has a 52-week low of $210.84 and a 52-week high of $279.70. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $262.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $248.69. The company has a market capitalization of $161.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.97.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.70 EPS. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 45.47%.

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.