Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Sells 8,905 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC has reduced its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 25.9%, selling 8,905 shares to hold a total of 25,432 shares, valued at approximately $5.85 million.
• Union Pacific recently reported $3.03 earnings per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, alongside revenue growth of 2.4% year-over-year, totaling $6.15 billion.
• The company has increased its quarterly dividend to $1.38 per share, representing an annualized rate of $5.52 and a dividend yield of 2.3%.

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 25.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,432 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 8,905 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $5,851,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. LGT Group Foundation grew its position 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 buying an additional 477 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at $988,822,000. SlateStone Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 6.2% during the first quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 13,264 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $3,133,000 after purchasing an additional 772 shares during the period. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 10.9% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 1,520 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of UNP opened at $236.60 on Monday. Union Pacific Corporation has a twelve month low of $204.66 and a twelve month high of $256.84. The stock has a market cap of $140.33 billion, a PE ratio of 20.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.07. 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's 50-day moving average price is $223.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.44.

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. The business had revenue of $6.15 billion for 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%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.74 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th were given a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on UNP shares. Citigroup raised shares of Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $250.00 to $251.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $250.00 to $285.00 in a report on Friday, July 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. UBS Group set a $253.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Baird R W raised Union Pacific to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $260.54.

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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