Wharton Business Group LLC Sells 2,300 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Wharton Business Group LLC reduced its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,021 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 2,300 shares during the period. Wharton Business Group LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $5,788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,329,262 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $13,724,045,000 after purchasing an additional 659,378 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,552,550,000 after purchasing an additional 296,814 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 193.3% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,481,043 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,477,404,000 after buying an additional 6,908,016 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 72.7% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,177,002 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,169,168,000 after buying an additional 3,861,636 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 95.0% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,713,196 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,059,538,000 after buying an additional 4,244,226 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $289.00 target price (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $285.00 price target (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $274.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $282.21.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $272.28 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $259.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $247.03. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $210.84 and a 52-week high of $279.70. 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 company has a market cap of $161.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.97.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.70 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 45.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total transaction of $7,442,691.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,605,079.52. This trade 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 ninety days, insiders sold 34,377 shares of company stock valued at $9,251,221. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.