Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Sold by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 6.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 94,705 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 6,973 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $22,385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Sagard Holdings Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, January 19th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $270.00 price target (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings raised Union Pacific from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $260.14.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $265.25 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $157.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $267.88. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $241.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $231.17.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.92 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.15 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 40.89% and a net margin of 29.12%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.91 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 46.12%.

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.