Skylands Capital LLC Trims Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Skylands Capital LLC lessened its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 2.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 217,255 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 5,640 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific makes up about 6.9% of Skylands Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Skylands Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $52,710,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 92.1% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,779,907,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 95.0% during the 3rd 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 raised its stake in Union Pacific by 72.7% during 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. Finally, EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Union Pacific during the third quarter worth about $408,592,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were 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 $31,492,157.40. The trade was a 1.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 32,378 shares of company stock valued at $8,781,595 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on UNP. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $274.00 target price (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $294.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $285.00 price target (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.11.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $269.56 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market cap of $160.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $265.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $250.81. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $210.84 and a fifty-two week 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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.70 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.