Cullen Capital Management LLC Makes New $41.44 Million Investment in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Cullen Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 152,353 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $41,440,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,330,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,090,674,000 after buying an additional 1,082,285 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 92.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,658,142,000 after acquiring an additional 9,655,306 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,552,550,000 after acquiring an additional 296,814 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 16.8% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,463,071 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,509,030,000 after acquiring an additional 2,084,808 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,636,050 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,922,971,000 after acquiring an additional 602,647 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Union Pacific from $304.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $305.00 to $333.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Benchmark raised their target price on Union Pacific from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.89.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.6%

Union Pacific stock opened at $309.83 on Tuesday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $210.84 and a 52-week high of $315.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $184.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.09, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $287.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $268.31.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.85% and a return on equity of 38.46%. Union Pacific’s revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.03 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a $1.42 dividend. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.99%.

Union Pacific Company Profile

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.