Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Position Lessened by Vestor Capital LLC

Vestor Capital LLC decreased its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 84.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 369 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 2,006 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $90,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $546,000 after buying an additional 665 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,741,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.6% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $859,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 10.0% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,401,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in Union Pacific by 7.4% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,528,426 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $351,660,000 after acquiring an additional 105,664 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on UNP. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $310.00 price objective (up from $286.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $317.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.89.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.8%

UNP opened at $291.83 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $277.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $260.55. Union Pacific Corporation has a twelve month low of $210.84 and a twelve month high of $315.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $173.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.96.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 38.46% and a net margin of 28.85%.The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.03 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.9 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 44.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.