Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Buys 3,697 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 27.1% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 17,354 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,697 shares during the quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $546,000 after buying an additional 665 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,741,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $859,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 10.0% in the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,401,000 after buying an additional 554 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted 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 valued at $351,660,000 after buying an additional 105,664 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Union Pacific from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $289.00 target price (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $288.78.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $285.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $169.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.96. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $210.84 and a 1-year high of $285.79. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $268.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $253.70.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.56 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.47%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595 in the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.