By Nathan Gomes
(Reuters) -Shares of Union Pacific Corp (NYSE:UNP) surged nearly 10% in early trade on Monday, a day after the U.S. railroad operator announced that its Chief Executive Lance Fritz would step down this year amid pressure from investor Soroban Capital Partners.
The gains, which put the stock on course for its biggest rise since March 2020, come after some Wall Street analysts backed the leadership change at the company that has struggled with labor shortages and service issues. Union Pacific's shares have dropped more than 25% over the past 10 months.
Soroban, which owns an about $1.6 billion stake in Union Pacific, urged the company on Sunday to consider its former chief operating officer Jim Vena for the role — a choice that was backed by brokerage BMO Capital Markets.
Vena, who serves as a board member at FedEx Corp (NYSE:FDX), was previously considered as a candidate to lead Canadian National Railway (TSX:CNR) Co.
"We believe that Vena may be uniquely positioned to instill a strong operating culture at UNP and position the company to capitalize on the volume growth opportunities available throughout its network," BMO's Fadi Chamoun said in a note.
Other analysts said a new leadership has the potential to improve the company's operating ratio — a key profitability metric.
The Omaha-Nebraska based company has faced severe criticism over the past year from customers and the Surface Transportation Board (STB) over rail service and shipping delays.
"We believe that the underperformance compared to its (Union Pacific's) peers warrants a management shakeup, and see Vena as the most logical successor," said Cowen Analyst Jason Seidl.
In its most-recent quarter, the company flagged higher operating expenses caused by operational inefficiencies and the current economic environment hitting its revenue growth.