Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Sold by Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 29.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 49,295 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 20,169 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $11,960,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 92.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,658,142,000 after buying an additional 9,655,306 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $1,779,907,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of 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 worth $2,169,168,000 after acquiring an additional 3,861,636 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,980,904 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,540,105,000 after acquiring an additional 2,267,708 shares during the period. Finally, EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth about $408,592,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the firm’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 in the company, valued at $31,492,157.40. This trade represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value of $7,442,691.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares in the company, valued at $16,605,079.52. This represents a 30.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 32,378 shares of company stock valued at $8,781,595 over the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on UNP. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Union Pacific from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $294.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Thursday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 price objective on Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $326.00 price objective (up from $307.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $290.39.

Union Pacific News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Union Pacific to $304 from $275, implying additional upside from current levels, while keeping a neutral rating. Article: Union Pacific price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens upgraded Union Pacific to strong-buy, signaling confidence in the railroad’s earnings outlook and valuation momentum. Article: Union Pacific was upgraded by Stephens
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage around Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s proposed merger continues to advance, with both companies filing responses as the regulatory review moves forward. Investors may see the deal as a potential long-term strategic catalyst if approved. Article: Norfolk Southern (NSC) Files Merger Response With Union Pacific As STB Review Advances
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on the proposed rail merger from Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern CEOs highlights the scale of the strategic opportunity, but also underscores that the deal remains subject to significant regulatory scrutiny. Article: EXCLUSIVE: Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern CEOs talk about the rail merger
• Neutral Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a downgrade saying buying Union Pacific now may be “too late,” which adds a cautionary note but does not appear to outweigh the bullish analyst actions. Article: Union Pacific: Buying Now Feels Too Late (Rating Downgrade)

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP traded up $2.23 during trading on Friday, hitting $287.27. The company had a trading volume of 1,876,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,394,006. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $269.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $253.94. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $210.84 and a fifty-two week high of $288.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $170.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.96. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 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.