2,500 Shares in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Acquired by Vazirani Asset Management LLC

Vazirani Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,500 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $680,000,000. Union Pacific accounts for 3.3% of Vazirani Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 40.4% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $546,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,741,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $859,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,401,000 after buying an additional 554 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,528,426 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $351,660,000 after buying an additional 105,664 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $294.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $350.00 target price for the company. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $301.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $311.21 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $184.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business has a 50-day moving average of $289.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $269.15. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $210.84 and a 1 year high of $315.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 38.46% and a net margin of 28.85%.The business had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.03 EPS. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.42 per share. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. 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.