Nuveen LLC Boosts Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Nuveen LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,639,602 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 357,431 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,073,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UNP. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 40.4% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew 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 purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 10.0% in the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,401,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 7.4% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,528,426 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $351,660,000 after purchasing an additional 105,664 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. This trade represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value 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 represents a 30.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,377 shares of company stock worth $9,251,221. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock opened at $268.50 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $261.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $248.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $210.84 and a 12-month high of $279.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $159.41 billion, a PE ratio of 22.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.97.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The business had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.70 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UNP. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $277.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, June 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One equities 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $282.21.

Union Pacific Company 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.