Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Buys 3,470 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Key Points

• Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 119.6% in the first quarter, now holding shares worth approximately $1.51 million.
• Union Pacific recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, up from the previous $1.34, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders.
• Union Pacific surpassed earnings expectations with $3.03 earnings per share for the last quarter, beating the consensus estimate by $0.19.

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 119.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,372 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 3,470 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,505,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 28,692 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $6,778,000 after buying an additional 1,482 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Union Pacific by 1.3% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,708,586 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $876,116,000 after purchasing an additional 45,802 shares during the period. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the first quarter worth approximately $12,093,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the first quarter worth approximately $127,000. Finally, Strategy Asset Managers LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 4.0% during the first quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 1,601 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $378,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP stock traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $222.27. 2,345,506 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,336,163. The stock's 50-day moving average is $227.09 and its 200-day moving average is $230.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market cap of $131.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $258.07.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNP. Citigroup cut Union Pacific from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $270.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Union Pacific from $244.00 to $238.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $231.00 target price for the company. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.21.

Union Pacific Company 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.