Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Acquired by Czech National Bank

Key Points

• Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation by 5.2% during the second quarter, owning 146,044 shares valued at approximately $33.6 million.
• Union Pacific reported a Q2 earnings per share (EPS) of $3.03, exceeding analyst expectations and reflecting a 2.4% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The company has raised its quarterly dividend to $1.38 per share, which marks an increase from the previous $1.34 per share and presents a 2.6% yield.

Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 146,044 shares of the railroad operator's stock after buying an additional 7,249 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $33,602,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.5% during the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 56,588 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $13,020,000 after buying an additional 825 shares during the period. Little House Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 7.3% during the second quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 4,640 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,068,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the period. Everpar Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 6.2% during the second quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 1,455 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Martin Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 223.0% during the second quarter. Martin Capital Partners LLC now owns 20,148 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $4,636,000 after buying an additional 13,911 shares during the period. Finally, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 3.6% during the second quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 9,454 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,175,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on UNP. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $238.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $250.00 to $251.00 in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $258.25.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.6%

UNP stock opened at $216.18 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.03. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $224.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $225.57. 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 Corporation has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $256.84.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its 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. The business had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.74 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This is a boost from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.

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