First National Trust Co Purchases 4,750 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Key Points

• First National Trust Co increased its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 14.0%, now holding 38,698 shares valued at $9,142,000.
• Union Pacific's stock opened at $223.82 with a market cap of $133.73 billion and reported earnings of $3.03 per share for the last quarter, beating expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, up from $1.34, indicating a yield of 2.47% and a payout ratio of 47.96%.

First National Trust Co grew its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 14.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,698 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 4,750 shares during the period. First National Trust Co's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $9,142,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,282,305,000 after buying an additional 1,616,895 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,370,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,178 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,962,650 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,587,763,000 after purchasing an additional 920,414 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,594,882 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,503,899,000 after purchasing an additional 105,111 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,439,861 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,468,546,000 after purchasing an additional 285,401 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UNP. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Argus upgraded Union Pacific to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $259.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $258.21.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.2%

UNP stock traded down $2.66 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $219.31. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,637,305 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,972,172. The company has a market cap of $130.06 billion, a PE ratio of 19.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $204.66 and a 12 month high of $258.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The firm's 50-day moving average is $227.09 and its 200-day moving average is $230.93.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released 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 business had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.73% and a net margin of 28.43%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.74 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share 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. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This is a positive change from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. Union Pacific's payout ratio is currently 46.57%.

Union Pacific Company 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.