51,192 Shares in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) Bought by ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 51,192 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $12,093,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allred Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Allred Capital Management LLC now owns 8,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,904,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its position in Union Pacific by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 2,922 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $666,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 2,803 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $662,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stiles Financial Services Inc grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 2,963 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $700,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of UNP opened at $225.50 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.65. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $204.66 and a fifty-two week high of $258.07. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $227.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $230.66. The firm has a market cap of $133.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 46.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $238.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Stephens dropped their target price 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. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.21.

Union Pacific 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.