34,139 Shares in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) Purchased by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 34,139 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $8,065,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UNP. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 103.5% during the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. EnRich Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 50.5% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 167 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of UNP stock opened at $229.29 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $227.17 and a 200 day moving average of $231.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The stock has a market cap of $137.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Corporation has a twelve month low of $204.66 and a twelve month high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.73% and a net margin of 28.43%. The firm had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.74 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 46.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $250.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Friday. Stephens dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.46.

Union Pacific Company Profile

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. The company offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, ethanol producers, renewable biofuel producers, and other agricultural users; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, petroleum, liquid petroleum gases, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers.