Argent Advisors Inc. Sells 4,393 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Argent Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 55.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,577 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 4,393 shares during the period. Argent Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $827,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Midwest Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 281,036 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $66,428,000 after acquiring an additional 7,759 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 29.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 653,589 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $154,488,000 after purchasing an additional 149,158 shares during the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 36,819 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,703,000 after purchasing an additional 9,207 shares during the last quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,343,000. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 842,206 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $199,072,000 after purchasing an additional 63,523 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value of $7,442,691.12. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 114,642 shares in the company, valued at $31,492,157.40. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 34,377 shares of company stock worth $9,251,221 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UNP. Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One 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 company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.47.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.5%

UNP opened at $263.54 on Friday. 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 has a market capitalization of $156.47 billion, a PE ratio of 21.71, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.97. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $210.84 and a 1-year high of $279.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $258.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $246.85.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 last year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.47%.

Union Pacific Company 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.