Truist Financial Corp Increases Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Truist Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 930,747 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,023 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $210,591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $246.48 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $245.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $238.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $150.16 billion, a PE ratio of 23.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $199.33 and a 12 month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.57 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.15%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on UNP. Loop Capital downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered shares of Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

About Union Pacific

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.