Vontobel Holding Ltd. Grows Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 13.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 661,251 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 80,786 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $179,860,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. SWAN Capital LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 2,575.0% in the fourth quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. High Point Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on UNP. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $294.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Thursday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $304.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Benchmark upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Stephens upgraded Union Pacific to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.89.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president 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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP opened at $293.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $174.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.96. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $283.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $265.13. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $210.84 and a 52-week high of $315.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.85% and a return on equity of 38.46%. The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.03 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a $1.42 dividend. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 44.70%.

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.