69,240 Shares in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Acquired by Haverford Trust Co

Key Points

• Haverford Trust acquired 69,240 Union Pacific shares in the second quarter, valued at approximately $18.8 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 80.38% of the company.
• Union Pacific reported quarterly earnings of $3.41 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue rose 11.5% year over year to $6.86 billion.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend from $1.38 to $1.42 per share, and analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $320.89.

Haverford Trust Co purchased a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 69,240 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $18,833,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 92.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $4,658,142,000 after purchasing an additional 9,655,306 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,779,907,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 72.7% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,980,904 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,540,105,000 after buying an additional 2,267,708 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Union Pacific by 16.8% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,463,071 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $3,509,030,000 after purchasing an additional 2,084,808 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $307.97 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $182.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.94, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.96. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $286.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $267.60. Union Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $210.84 and a one year high of $315.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.85% and a return on equity of 38.46%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.42 per share. This is an increase from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on UNP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $304.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $294.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $317.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $350.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $320.89.

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.

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