Franklin Resources Inc. Buys 625,492 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 9.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 625,492 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 1.21% of Union Pacific worth $1,795,993,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNP. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 265.7% during the third quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Susquehanna cut their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Raymond James raised their target price on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $259.80.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE UNP traded up $1.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $234.98. 2,610,351 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,342,424. The company has a market capitalization of $142.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $238.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $238.27. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $218.55 and a 12 month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. Union Pacific's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.51 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.22%.

Union Pacific Profile

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.