Savant Capital LLC Decreases Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Savant Capital LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 32.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 26,188 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 12,542 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $6,058,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 193.3% in 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. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 95.0% in 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. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 72.7% in 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. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at approximately $408,592,000. Finally, Baupost Group LLC MA purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at approximately $353,658,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Union Pacific

Here are the key news stories impacting Union Pacific this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The STB did accept Union Pacific’s revised merger application, which keeps the transaction alive and moves it one step forward in the regulatory process. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Brookfield Infrastructure may benefit from divestitures if the merger eventually proceeds, since regulators are expected to require sales of regional lines, yards, or equipment. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern said they will work with regulators and continue pushing the case for creating the first transcontinental railroad. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The STB’s pause signals more regulatory friction, extending the approval timeline and increasing uncertainty around whether the merger will close on the company’s preferred schedule. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: CN publicly backed the regulator’s decision to freeze the review, arguing Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern still haven’t met the higher standard needed to justify the deal. Article Title

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 114,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. The trade was a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total value of $469,625.07. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective (up from $260.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 price objective on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.47.

Union Pacific Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE:UNP opened at $262.83 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $156.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.65, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $256.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $245.56. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $210.84 and a 12-month high of $279.70.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.70 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. 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 2.1%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 45.47%.

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.