Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Raises Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Duff & Phelps increased its stake in Union Pacific by 77.3% in Q3, adding 67,118 shares to hold 153,928 shares worth about $36.38 million.
• Analysts give UNP an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $263.77 (1 Strong Buy, 14 Buy, 9 Hold).
• Union Pacific declared a quarterly dividend of $1.38 (annualized $5.52, yield 2.2%; ex‑dividend Feb 27, payable Mar 31) and slightly missed the recent quarter's EPS at $2.86 versus $2.92.

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 153,928 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 67,118 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $36,384,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $4,741,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 21.7% during the 2nd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 57,498 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $13,229,000 after purchasing an additional 10,255 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 102,892 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $23,673,000 after purchasing an additional 10,984 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advyzon Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 15.9% during the second quarter. Advyzon Investment Management LLC now owns 2,289 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $527,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $280.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price target on Union Pacific and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $245.00 price target on Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $263.77.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP opened at $251.21 on Thursday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $268.14. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $246.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.06 billion, a PE ratio of 20.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.92 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.15 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 40.89% and a net margin of 29.12%.The business's revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.91 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.12%.

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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