Union Pacific Corporation Announces Quarterly Dividend of $1.38 (NYSE:UNP)

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of 1.38 per share by the railroad operator on Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th.

Union Pacific has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 18 consecutive years. Union Pacific has a payout ratio of 43.1% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Union Pacific to earn $13.48 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $5.52 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 40.9%.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE UNP traded down $0.76 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $268.58. The company had a trading volume of 1,545,941 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,231,482. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $252.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $241.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92. The company has a market capitalization of $159.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.12, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.99. Union Pacific has a 12-month low of $210.84 and a 12-month high of $274.79.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.70 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 12.53 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. The trade was a 1.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 92.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,658,142,000 after purchasing an additional 9,655,306 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,779,907,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 95.0% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,713,196 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,059,538,000 after purchasing an additional 4,244,226 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 72.7% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,177,002 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,169,168,000 after purchasing an additional 3,861,636 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at approximately $408,592,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

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.