Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Bought by Saudi Central Bank

Saudi Central Bank lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 89.8% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 41,558 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,664 shares during the quarter. Saudi Central Bank’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $11,304,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 9.5% in the second quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,617 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,616,000 after acquiring an additional 833 shares during the period. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 89.7% in the 2nd quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC now owns 84,566 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $23,002,000 after purchasing an additional 39,981 shares during the last quarter. Schuylkill Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth $1,206,000. NBH Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth about $120,000. Finally, AlphaGrep UK Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth about $271,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 target price (up from $282.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $301.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 13th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $335.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report 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 issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.89.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $289.54 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $293.96 and a 200 day moving average of $270.92. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $210.84 and a 12 month high of $315.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $172.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.96. 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 earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 38.46% and a net margin of 28.85%.Union Pacific’s revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.03 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 13.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.99%.

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.