Czech National Bank Boosts Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 156,407 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,787 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $36,180,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 52,849 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $12,492,000 after acquiring an additional 4,707 shares during the period. Midwest Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% during the third quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 281,036 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $66,428,000 after purchasing an additional 7,759 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 39.8% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 65,826 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $15,559,000 after purchasing an additional 18,742 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Union Pacific by 15.1% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 135,188 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $31,955,000 after purchasing an additional 17,696 shares during the period. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the third quarter worth $802,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on UNP. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $280.00 price objective on Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, January 19th. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.86.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.9%

Union Pacific stock opened at $241.77 on Thursday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $204.66 and a 12 month high of $268.14. The company has a market capitalization of $143.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $247.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $234.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly 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). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.15 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.12% and a return on equity of 40.89%. Union Pacific’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.91 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.12%.

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.