Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. Invests $115.10 Million in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. acquired 487,200 shares of Union Pacific Corporation, valued at approximately $115 million, making it a notable new investor in the company.
• Union Pacific recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.38 per share, reflecting its financial stability and commitment to returning value to shareholders.
• As of its latest earnings report, Union Pacific posted $3.03 EPS, beating estimates and showing a strong net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%.

Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 487,200 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $115,096,000. Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. owned approximately 0.08% of Union Pacific as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 9,816 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,238,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 19,412 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $4,427,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 6,321 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,441,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. Finally, Allred Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Allred Capital Management LLC now owns 8,349 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,904,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UNP. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $244.00 to $238.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 25th. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $263.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $257.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.21.

Union Pacific Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of UNP traded up $3.3690 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $223.4490. The company had a trading volume of 4,899,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,460,096. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $226.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $229.09. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $258.07. The company has a market capitalization of $132.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. Union Pacific's payout ratio is presently 46.57%.

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.