D.A. Davidson & CO. Decreases Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

D.A. Davidson & CO. lessened its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 5.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 143,714 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 7,701 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $34,868,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. SWAN Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2,575.0% during the 4th quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, High Point Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,353,447.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595 over the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $274.00 price objective (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $285.00 target price (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $294.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $289.00 price target (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, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $299.11.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $288.68 on Thursday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $210.84 and a 52 week high of $291.66. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $270.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $255.22. The firm has a market capitalization 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 (NYSE:UNP) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.70 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.47%.

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.