Insider Selling: Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) EVP Sells $789,504.36 in Stock

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) EVP Eric 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 transaction of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Union Pacific Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $272.28 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $161.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $259.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $247.03. 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 fifty-two week low of $210.84 and a fifty-two week high of $279.70.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its 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. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The business 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 firm earned $2.70 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on UNP. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $277.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $289.00 price objective (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $282.21.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Midwest Trust Co grew its stake in Union Pacific by 2.8% during the third quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 281,036 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $66,428,000 after buying an additional 7,759 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 29.6% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 653,589 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $154,488,000 after purchasing an additional 149,158 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 33.3% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 36,819 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,703,000 after purchasing an additional 9,207 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 63,523 shares during the period. Finally, Magellan Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at $69,343,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

About Union Pacific

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.