Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) Shares Acquired by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation by 8.4%, owning over 1 million shares valued at approximately $255 million.
• Union Pacific recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.38 per share, resulting in an annual yield of 2.4% and a current payout ratio of 46.57%.
• The company's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $3.03, surpassing analyst expectations of $2.84, with a revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 8.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,079,614 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 83,532 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.18% of Union Pacific worth $255,048,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 103.5% during the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. EnRich Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 50.5% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 167 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP traded down $0.39 during trading on Friday, reaching $222.27. 2,345,506 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,336,163. 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 Corporation has a 12 month low of $204.66 and a 12 month high of $258.07. The company has a 50 day moving average of $227.09 and a 200-day moving average of $230.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $131.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.05.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.15 billion during 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%. Union Pacific's revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.74 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 (DPR) is presently 46.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of Union Pacific to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $263.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.