Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. Makes New Investment in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. bought a new position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 7,105 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,933,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Cambient Family Office LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,319,000. First National Bank of Omaha boosted its position in Union Pacific by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Omaha now owns 54,635 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $12,665,000 after acquiring an additional 14,399 shares in the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $4,746,000. Sage Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $997,000. Finally, Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 1,016,071 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $235,038,000 after acquiring an additional 30,079 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 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 the SEC website. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $307.97 on Friday. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $210.84 and a fifty-two week high of $315.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $182.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.94, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.96. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $286.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $267.60.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.03 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.42 per share. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $311.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $301.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $317.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 target price (up from $282.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company 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.