Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Acquired by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Key Points

• Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 35.5% through the purchase of 372,435 additional shares, bringing its total ownership to 1,422,762 shares valued at approximately $336 million.
• Other notable institutional investors, such as Nuveen LLC and GAMMA Investing LLC, also made significant changes to their positions, indicating a heightened interest in Union Pacific, with 80.38% of the stock currently owned by hedge funds and institutional investors.
• Union Pacific recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share—an increase from the previous $1.34—representing an annualized yield of 2.5% and a payout ratio of 47.96%.

Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 35.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,422,762 shares of the railroad operator's stock after buying an additional 372,435 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.24% of Union Pacific worth $336,113,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 103.5% during the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter worth $32,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 50.5% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 167 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth $43,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNP. Citigroup lowered Union Pacific from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $270.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $263.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Argus downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $257.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.21.

Union Pacific Trading Down 1.3%

UNP stock traded down $2.90 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $217.41. 4,131,074 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,451,757. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 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 Corporation has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $256.84. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $226.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $226.80.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. Union Pacific's revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.74 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. This is a positive change from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.