Empirical Asset Management LLC Invests $544,000 in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 2,001 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $544,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UNP. Capital World Investors raised 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 acquiring an additional 9,655,306 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,779,907,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 72.7% in the 3rd 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 acquiring an additional 3,861,636 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,463,071 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,509,030,000 after purchasing an additional 2,084,808 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $301.69 on Thursday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $210.84 and a 52 week high of $315.99. The company has a market capitalization of $179.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.43, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $284.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $266.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.85% and a return on equity of 38.46%. The business’s revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.03 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $317.00 price objective on Union Pacific and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 target price (up from $282.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $320.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $320.89.

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.