Rydar Equities Inc. Invests $1.58 Million in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Rydar Equities Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 6,860 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,000. Union Pacific comprises 1.2% of Rydar Equities Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,856,340,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 22,618.2% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,624,636 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $603,876,000 after buying an additional 2,613,083 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 35.6% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 4,782,577 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,134,236,000 after buying an additional 1,255,231 shares during the period. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 3,536.2% in the second quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd now owns 1,011,677 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $232,767,000 after acquiring an additional 983,855 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 32.8% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,152,042 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $725,222,000 after acquiring an additional 778,411 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UNP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. UBS Group set a $253.00 price objective on Union Pacific and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $245.00 price target on Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.54.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $239.90 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market cap of $142.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.38, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $226.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $225.81. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $256.84.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.09. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.73% and a return on equity of 42.23%. The company had revenue of $6.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.75 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 46.90%.

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.