Groupe la Francaise Sells 1,438 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Groupe la Francaise reduced its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 50.7%, selling 1,438 shares and now holding 1,401 shares valued at $331,000.
• Union Pacific reported quarterly earnings of $3.03 per share, exceeding analyst estimates, with a revenue increase of 2.4% year-over-year to $6.15 billion.
• The company announced a dividend increase to $1.38 per share, with an upcoming payment date of September 30th, indicating a strong commitment to returning capital to shareholders.

Groupe la Francaise decreased its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 50.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,401 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 1,438 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $331,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 103.5% in 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 last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 50.5% in 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 last quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at $55,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock opened at $227.4770 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $134.90 billion, a PE ratio of 19.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The business has a 50 day moving average of $226.99 and a 200-day moving average of $228.58. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $204.66 and a 12-month high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.73% and a net margin of 28.43%.Union Pacific's quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.74 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Citigroup lowered Union Pacific from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $270.00 to $250.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $258.21.

About Union Pacific

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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