Midwest Professional Planners LTD. Boosts Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Midwest Professional Planners LTD. grew its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,407 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 2,328 shares during the quarter. Midwest Professional Planners LTD.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,735,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNP. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,330,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,090,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,082,285 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,552,550,000 after purchasing an additional 296,814 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,527,563 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,951,497,000 after purchasing an additional 64,492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,636,050 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,922,971,000 after purchasing an additional 602,647 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Down 3.5%

UNP stock opened at $290.29 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $172.46 billion, a PE ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.96. Union Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $210.84 and a one year high of $315.99. The company has a fifty day moving average of $292.52 and a 200-day moving average of $270.39.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 38.46% and a net margin of 28.85%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.03 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 13.02 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be given a $1.42 dividend. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $335.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Benchmark raised their target price on Union Pacific from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Stephens upgraded Union Pacific to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $294.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.89.

Union Pacific Company Profile

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.