Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Acquires 2,965 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 4.2% in the second quarter, acquiring an additional 2,965 shares worth approximately $17 million.
• Several brokerages have adjusted their price targets for Union Pacific with Susquehanna raising theirs to $272.00, while Morgan Stanley decreased its target to $215.00.
• Union Pacific recently announced a quarterly dividend increase from $1.34 to $1.38 per share, representing an annual yield of 2.4%.

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 74,002 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 2,965 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $17,030,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,105,382 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,678,575,000 after acquiring an additional 142,732 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,949,345 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,641,715,000 after acquiring an additional 354,463 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,105,784 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,206,191,000 after acquiring an additional 86,292 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in Union Pacific by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,626,200 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,092,893,000 after buying an additional 452,788 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth $988,822,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on UNP. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "positive" rating and set a $272.00 price objective (up previously from $257.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group set a $253.00 price objective on Union Pacific and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $244.00 to $238.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Argus downgraded Union Pacific from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $261.08.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock opened at $225.54 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $224.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $224.38. The stock has a market cap of $133.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.15 billion during 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 company's revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.74 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th were issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. This is a boost from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.96%.

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.

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