Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 6,879 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank increased its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation by 2.6% in Q1, owning 272,611 shares valued at approximately $64.4 million.
• Union Pacific's quarterly earnings surpassed expectations, reporting $3.03 EPS, while revenue rose by 2.4% year-over-year to $6.15 billion.
• The company recently announced a dividend increase to $1.38 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.46%.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 272,611 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 6,879 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $64,402,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,282,305,000 after acquiring an additional 1,616,895 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,370,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,178 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,686,387 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,752,804,000 after buying an additional 363,937 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,962,650 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,587,763,000 after buying an additional 920,414 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,594,882 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,503,899,000 after buying an additional 105,111 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded up $1.41 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $225.18. 3,514,670 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,273,911. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $134.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $227.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $231.00. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.09 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.74 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. This is an increase from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is 47.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $263.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Redburn Atlantic raised Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $259.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Argus upgraded Union Pacific to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.21.

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.