Sanctuary Advisors LLC Raises Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 4.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 109,248 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 4,874 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $26,506,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Cambient Family Office LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,319,000. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $4,746,000. First National Bank of Omaha boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Omaha now owns 54,635 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $12,665,000 after purchasing an additional 14,399 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $1,449,000. Finally, Sage Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $997,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of UNP opened at $288.68 on Thursday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $210.84 and a 1-year high of $291.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $270.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $255.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $171.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.78, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.96.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.70 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.62 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value 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. The trade was a 30.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 32,378 shares of company stock valued at $8,781,595. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UNP. Citizens Jmp began coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Wednesday. They set a “market outperform” rating and a $350.00 target price for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective (up from $300.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $285.00 target price (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $299.11.

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.