APG Asset Management N.V. Increases Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• APG Asset Management N.V. increased its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation by 4.6%, owning approximately 350,882 shares valued at $76.7 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Analysts have raised target prices for Union Pacific, with BMO Capital Markets setting a new target of $277.00 and Royal Bank of Canada adjusting theirs to $276.00, both maintaining an "outperform" rating.
• Union Pacific recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, reflecting an increase from the previous dividend and a yield of 2.4%.

APG Asset Management N.V. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 4.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 350,882 shares of the railroad operator's stock after buying an additional 15,282 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. owned 0.06% of Union Pacific worth $76,738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 8.2% during the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 8,728 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,026,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares during the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 146.5% during the first quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 368,615 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $87,082,000 after purchasing an additional 219,075 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.2% during the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 209,022 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $49,379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,519 shares during the last quarter. JRM Investment Counsel LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 19.2% during the first quarter. JRM Investment Counsel LLC now owns 1,263 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sax Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter worth $320,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $250.00 to $285.00 in a report on Friday, July 25th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $244.00 to $238.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $258.21.

Union Pacific Stock Down 2.0%

NYSE:UNP traded down $4.4920 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $223.3580. The company had a trading volume of 5,992,964 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,089,488. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $258.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $132.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.41, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $226.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $228.45.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.73% and a net margin of 28.43%.The business had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.74 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. 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. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.57%.

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.