Xponance LLC Raises Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Xponance LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 101,645 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,940 shares during the quarter. Xponance LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $23,513,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 8.2% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 842,206 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $199,072,000 after buying an additional 63,523 shares during the last quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at $69,343,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 1,581.2% in the third quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 232,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $54,838,000 after buying an additional 218,200 shares during the last quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 30.1% in the third quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 105,049 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $24,830,000 after buying an additional 24,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 2.7% in the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 208,469 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $49,276,000 after buying an additional 5,572 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $268.50 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $210.84 and a 52-week high of $279.70. The firm has a market cap of $159.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.12, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.97. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $261.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $248.52.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The business had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.70 EPS. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently 45.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on UNP. Weiss Ratings upgraded Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $289.00 target price (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price target on Union Pacific and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. One equities research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $282.21.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $16,605,079.52. The trade was a 30.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 34,377 shares of company stock worth $9,251,221 in the last three months. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.