Fayez Sarofim & Co Boosts Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 5.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 772,772 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 37,966 shares during the quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $210,194,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,330,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,090,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,082,285 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its position in Union Pacific by 92.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,658,142,000 after buying an additional 9,655,306 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,552,550,000 after buying an additional 296,814 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 0.4% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,527,563 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,951,497,000 after buying an additional 64,492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 602,647 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of UNP stock opened at $311.21 on Thursday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $210.84 and a 1-year high of $315.99. The firm has a market cap of $184.88 billion, a PE ratio of 25.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a 50-day moving average of $289.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $269.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

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. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.85% and a return on equity of 38.46%. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.03 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be given a $1.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $305.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $304.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $339.00 price target (up from $289.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $317.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective (up from $282.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 directly owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at $11,353,447.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.