Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Purchased by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 109,624 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,732 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $25,912,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Sagard Holdings Management Inc. bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $285.00 price objective (up from $270.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $267.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Thursday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.32.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $261.47 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $234.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $227.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.84, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $261.55.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.92 by ($0.06). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 40.89% and a net margin of 29.12%.The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.15 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.91 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 46.12%.

Union Pacific 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.