National Pension Service Has $377.03 Million Stock Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

National Pension Service raised its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 2.8% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,386,156 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 38,296 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $377,034,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. SWAN Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2,575.0% in the 4th quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Wiser Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 target price (up from $315.00) 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 research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $301.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Stephens raised Union Pacific to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $304.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued 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 an average target price of $320.89.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $285.27 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $169.47 billion, a PE ratio of 23.10, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.96. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $210.84 and a 1 year high of $315.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $294.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $271.51.

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, topping 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 firm had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.03 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 13.02 EPS 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 given a dividend of $1.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 45.99%.

About Union Pacific

Union Pacific Corporation is a transportation company that operates Union Pacific Railroad, one of the largest freight railroad networks in the United States. The company provides rail transportation and logistics services for a broad range of commodities, including agricultural products, automotive goods, chemicals, coal, industrial products, and intermodal shipments.

Union Pacific’s railroad network serves the western two-thirds of the United States, connecting major markets and ports across approximately 23 states.