Hartree Partners LP Buys Shares of 28,904 Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Hartree Partners LP invested approximately $6.83 million in Union Pacific Corporation, acquiring 28,904 shares and making it the 14th largest holding in their portfolio.
• Union Pacific recently reported a quarterly earnings per share of $3.03, surpassing estimates by $0.19, with a revenue increase of 2.4% year-over-year.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.38, representing a 2.4% yield, with a payout ratio of 46.57%.

Hartree Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 28,904 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $6,828,000. Union Pacific accounts for about 2.5% of Hartree Partners LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in UNP. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 19,412 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $4,427,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Union Pacific by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 38,439 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $8,766,000 after purchasing an additional 2,879 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 16,205 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,695,000 after buying an additional 1,717 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 107.0% in the 4th quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 6,572 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,499,000 after buying an additional 3,397 shares during the period. Finally, Topsail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $218,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Baird R W upgraded Union Pacific to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Barclays lowered Union Pacific from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $250.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Friday, July 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $258.21.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP traded down $4.4920 on Monday, hitting $223.3580. 5,992,964 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,089,488. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $258.07. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $226.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $228.45. 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 company has a market cap of $132.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

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