KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Buys 8,800 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS increased its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) by 4.2%, acquiring an additional 8,800 shares in the second quarter, bringing its total holdings to approximately $50.15 million.
• Union Pacific recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend, with investors receiving $1.38 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend of $5.52 and a yield of 2.3%.
• Analysts have given Union Pacific a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy", with an average price target of $260.54 following various upgrades and downgrades from notable equity analysts.

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 4.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 217,964 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 8,800 shares during the quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $50,149,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. LGT Group Foundation lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. LGT Group Foundation now owns 5,398 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 477 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the first quarter valued at approximately $988,822,000. SlateStone Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 6.2% during the first quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 13,264 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,133,000 after purchasing an additional 772 shares during the last quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in 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 worth $866,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 16.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,545 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,491,000 after purchasing an additional 1,520 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Robert W. Baird started coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Barclays cut shares of Union Pacific from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $250.00 to $251.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $250.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Friday, July 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $260.54.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $237.33 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $223.83 and a 200-day moving average of $224.46. The company has a market capitalization of $140.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $256.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.74 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th were given a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. This is an increase from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is 47.96%.

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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