Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 17.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,428 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 2,115 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,501,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,741,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $859,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,401,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 105,664 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $267.61 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $264.62 and a 200 day moving average of $250.68. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $210.84 and a 52 week high of $279.70. The company has a market cap of $158.88 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business 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 earned $2.70 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 45.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price objective on Union Pacific and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $300.00 target price (up from $260.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $289.00 price target (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total transaction of $7,442,691.12. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total value 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 represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.