Johnson Financial Group Inc. Acquires New Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 2,962 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $806,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,329,262 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $13,724,045,000 after purchasing an additional 659,378 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Union Pacific by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,330,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,090,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,082,285 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 92.1% in 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 during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 16.8% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,463,071 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,509,030,000 after buying an additional 2,084,808 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP opened at $304.34 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $285.59 and its 200 day moving average is $267.31. 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 company has a market cap of $180.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.64, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.96. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $210.84 and a 12-month high of $315.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be paid a $1.42 dividend. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. 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

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UNP. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $310.00 target price (up from $286.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $320.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Stephens raised Union Pacific to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.89.

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.