Somerville Kurt F Takes $1.28 Million Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Somerville Kurt F acquired a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 4,690 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,276,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. SWAN Capital LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 2,575.0% in the 4th 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 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNP. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $310.00 price target (up from $286.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $301.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $311.00 to $344.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $317.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.89.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,353,447.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.8%

UNP stock opened at $304.34 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $285.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $267.31. The stock has a market cap of $180.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.64, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Union Pacific Corporation has a twelve month low of $210.84 and a twelve month high of $315.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.85% and a return on equity of 38.46%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.03 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

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

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.