AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs Purchases Shares of 22,474 Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs has acquired a stake in Union Pacific Corporation, purchasing 22,474 shares valued at approximately $4.98 million.
• Union Pacific recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.38 per share, up from $1.34, marking an annualized dividend yield of 2.6%.
• The company reported $3.03 EPS for the latest quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, and achieved a net margin of 28.43%.

AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs bought a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 22,474 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $4,982,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $988,822,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 27,502.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,491,151 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $588,510,000 after purchasing an additional 2,482,126 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 35.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,968,658 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,133,053,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294,643 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 29.8% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,699,109 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $873,878,000 after purchasing an additional 850,025 shares during the period. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 61,054.6% in the 1st quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 625,000 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $147,650,000 after purchasing an additional 623,978 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $257.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $238.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays cut shares of Union Pacific from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $258.21.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of UNP opened at $215.96 on Friday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $204.66 and a 12 month high of $256.84. The firm's 50 day moving average is $224.89 and its 200-day moving average is $226.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.08 billion, a PE ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The company had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.09 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.74 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. This is a boost from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is 47.96%.

Union Pacific Profile

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. The company offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, ethanol producers, renewable biofuel producers, and other agricultural users; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, petroleum, liquid petroleum gases, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers.

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