D.A. Davidson & CO. Reduces Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

D.A. Davidson & CO. reduced its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 5.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 143,714 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 7,701 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $34,868,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Key Financial Inc increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.1% during the first quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 1,821 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Members Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Members Trust Co now owns 1,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $382,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. EJMK Ventures LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. EJMK Ventures LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its stake in Union Pacific by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 6,637 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,535,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,156 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $280,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total value of $549,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,642 shares in the company, valued at $31,492,157.40. This trade represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total transaction of $7,442,691.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares in the company, valued at $16,605,079.52. This represents a 30.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.1%

UNP opened at $288.68 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $270.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $255.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The company has a market cap of $171.39 billion, a PE ratio of 23.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.96. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $210.84 and a 52 week high of $291.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The company’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.70 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.62 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. Citigroup initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $305.00 to $333.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $294.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $299.11.

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.