Commerce Bank Raises Position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Key Points

• Commerce Bank increased its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 0.2%, owning 484,965 shares valued at approximately $114.6 million, making it the bank's 29th largest position.
• Union Pacific's stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy", with analysts setting an average price target of $258.21, while its recent earnings report showed a 19% rise from the previous year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, an increase from the previous dividend of $1.34, representing an annualized dividend yield of 2.5%.

Commerce Bank boosted its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 0.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 484,965 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 1,195 shares during the period. Union Pacific makes up 0.7% of Commerce Bank's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Commerce Bank owned 0.08% of Union Pacific worth $114,568,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fiduciary Trust Co grew its position in Union Pacific by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 102,213 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $23,309,000 after acquiring an additional 2,807 shares during the last quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $781,000. SlateStone Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 6.2% during the first quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 13,264 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $3,133,000 after purchasing an additional 772 shares during the period. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 10.9% during the first quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,666 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $866,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 16.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,545 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,491,000 after purchasing an additional 1,520 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $259.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Bank of America raised their target price on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $257.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.21.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.4%

UNP stock opened at $222.16 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $227.09 and a 200 day moving average of $230.93. The firm has a market cap of $131.75 billion, a PE ratio of 19.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Corporation has a twelve month low of $204.66 and a twelve month high of $258.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This is a positive change from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.57%.

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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