Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Acquired by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management increased its Union Pacific stake by 8.2% in the second quarter, adding 110,330 shares to own 1.45 million shares valued at approximately $395.4 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 80.38% of the railroad operator.
• Union Pacific reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.41 versus the $3.26 consensus and revenue of $6.86 billion, up 11.5% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.42 per share, or $5.68 annually.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with Union Pacific carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $320.89, above its reported share price of $299.10.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,453,536 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 110,330 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.24% of Union Pacific worth $395,362,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,329,262 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $13,724,045,000 after purchasing an additional 659,378 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Union Pacific by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,330,080 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $6,090,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,082,285 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its position in Union Pacific by 92.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $4,658,142,000 after acquiring an additional 9,655,306 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,552,550,000 after purchasing an additional 296,814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 16.8% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,463,071 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $3,509,030,000 after purchasing an additional 2,084,808 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $299.10 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $284.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $266.34. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $210.84 and a 52 week high of $315.99. The stock has a market cap of $177.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.22, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.85% and a return on equity of 38.46%. The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.03 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.42 per share. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is 44.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $294.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Union Pacific from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $339.00 target price (up from $289.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $325.00 price target (up from $282.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $335.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $320.89.

About Union Pacific

Union Pacific Corporation NYSE: UNP is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific's core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two‑thirds of the United States.

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