Shepherd Street Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 3,589 Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Shepherd Street Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 3,589 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $830,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $564,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 266,757 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $61,679,000 after purchasing an additional 28,170 shares during the last quarter. Marble Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $584,000. Mccarter Private Wealth Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,631 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the topic of several research reports. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $285.00 price target (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $274.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 61,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,605,079.52. This trade represents a 30.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,386 shares of company stock worth $8,461,716. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $264.91 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $210.84 and a 1 year high of $279.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $257.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $245.98. The firm has a market cap of $157.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.97. 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) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.70 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.