R Squared Ltd Invests $836,000 in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,075 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $836,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 92.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,658,142,000 after purchasing an additional 9,655,306 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $1,779,907,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 72.7% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,177,002 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,169,168,000 after buying an additional 3,861,636 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,980,904 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,540,105,000 after acquiring an additional 2,267,708 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 16.8% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,463,071 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,509,030,000 after purchasing an additional 2,084,808 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Union Pacific from $311.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Bank of America raised their target price on Union Pacific from $301.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $317.00 price target on Union Pacific and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $350.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $320.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $293.57 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $283.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $265.37. 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 firm has a market cap of $174.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.96. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $210.84 and a 52 week high of $315.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion during 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 revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.03 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a $1.42 dividend. This is an increase 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 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.70%.

About Union Pacific

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.