Hodges Capital Management Inc. Purchases 17,985 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 686.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 20,604 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 17,985 shares during the quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,766,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. High Point Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd bought a new position in Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $277.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 price objective on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Benchmark raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.21.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was 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 $16,605,079.52. The trade was a 30.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 34,377 shares of company stock worth $9,251,221 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $267.37 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $261.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $248.22. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $210.84 and a 1-year high of $279.70. The stock has a market cap of $158.74 billion, a PE ratio of 22.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.97.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.70 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 45.47%.

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.