Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Increases Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management increased its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 3.4%, acquiring an additional 2,704 shares to hold a total of 82,039 shares valued at approximately $18.88 million.
• Union Pacific reported $3.03 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $2.84, while the company also announced a subsequent quarterly dividend increase to $1.38 per share.
• Institutional investors own 80.38% of Union Pacific's stock, with several brokerages recently adjusting their ratings, notably increasing target prices for the stock to as high as $285.

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 3.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 82,039 shares of the railroad operator's stock after buying an additional 2,704 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $18,876,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $417,000. Professional Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Professional Financial Advisors LLC now owns 19,117 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $4,398,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $237,000. Sunflower Bank N.A. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 5,971 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,374,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC now owns 2,764 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $636,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $263.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $257.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $259.38.

Union Pacific Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE UNP traded up $5.17 during trading on Monday, hitting $225.78. 8,135,975 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,561,980. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $256.84. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $222.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $224.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $133.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.