E Fund Management Co. Ltd. Acquires Shares of 2,228 Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,228 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $606,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 40.4% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,741,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 1.6% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $859,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 10.0% in the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,401,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 7.4% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,528,426 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $351,660,000 after purchasing an additional 105,664 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.8%

UNP stock opened at $304.34 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 current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $180.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.64, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.96. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $285.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $267.31.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.03 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.9%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.70%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $304.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $335.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $339.00 price objective (up from $289.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.