Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Has $2.26 Million Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lessened its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 18.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,325 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 2,109 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,262,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cambient Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $1,319,000. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $4,746,000. First National Bank of Omaha lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Omaha now owns 54,635 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $12,665,000 after buying an additional 14,399 shares during the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,449,000. Finally, Sage Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $997,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on UNP. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. UBS Group reiterated 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $289.00 target price (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $305.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $294.89.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP opened at $288.44 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92. The company has a market cap of $171.25 billion, a PE ratio of 23.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $270.10 and a 200-day moving average of $254.84. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $210.84 and a 52-week high of $291.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.70 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were issued 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.47%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were 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 directly owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total transaction of $7,442,691.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,605,079.52. This represents a 30.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 32,378 shares of company stock valued at $8,781,595 over the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.