Cannell & Spears LLC Grows Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Cannell & Spears LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 108.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 108,819 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 56,579 shares during the quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $25,722,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $546,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,741,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 45.1% during the 2nd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 4,768 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,097,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares during the period. CFO4Life Group LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 3,708 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $853,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 911,292 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $209,670,000 after purchasing an additional 2,698 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on UNP. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, January 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $280.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $267.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 target price on Union Pacific and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $263.77.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $242.22 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $246.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $233.81. The stock has a market cap of $143.73 billion, a PE ratio of 20.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $204.66 and a 12 month high of $268.14.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.92 by ($0.06). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 40.89% and a net margin of 29.12%.The business had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.91 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 46.12%.

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.