KBC Group NV Boosts Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 39.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 92,194 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,915 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $22,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Key Financial Inc increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 1,821 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Members Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Members Trust Co now owns 1,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $382,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. EJMK Ventures LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 4.0% in the first quarter. EJMK Ventures LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 6,637 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,535,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.8% during the first quarter. Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,156 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on UNP shares. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $294.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Stephens upgraded Union Pacific to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $289.00 price objective (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $299.11.

Union Pacific Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE:UNP opened at $293.07 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $210.84 and a 1 year high of $303.15. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $273.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $257.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a market cap of $174.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.96.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The company had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.70 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.62 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th were given a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.47%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Profile

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.