Union Pacific Rewards Investors With 3% Dividend Payout

In a shareholder-friendly move, Union Pacific Corporation’s (UNP) board of directors approved a dividend hike of 3%, thereby raising its quarterly cash dividend to $1.38 per share ($5.52 annualized) from $1.34 ($5.36 annualized). The raised dividend will be paid on Sept. 30, 2025, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Aug. 29. The move reflects UNP’s intention to utilize free cash to enhance its shareholders’ returns. We would like to remind investors that UNP has paid dividends for 126 consecutive years.Union Pacific Corporation Dividend Yield (TTM) Union Pacific Corporation dividend-yield-ttm | Union Pacific Corporation QuoteJennifer Hamann, executive vice president and chief financial officer, stated, "Union Pacific continues to drive strong and growing cash returns for our shareholders. Today’s action delivers on that commitment and marks our 19th consecutive year of increased annual dividends per share."Union Pacific has been consistently making efforts to reward its shareholders through dividends and share buybacks, which are encouraging. In 2022, UNP paid dividends of $3.15 billion and repurchased shares worth $6.28 billion. In 2023, UNP paid dividends of $3.17 billion and repurchased shares worth $705 million. During 2024, UNP rewarded its shareholders through dividends of $3.21 billion and repurchased shares worth $1.51 billion. During the first quarter of 2025, UNP paid dividends of $804 million and repurchased shares worth $1.42 billion.For 2025, Union Pacific's long-term capital allocation strategy remains unchanged, with a capital plan of $3.4 billion and share repurchases ranging from $4 to $4.5 billion.Dividend-paying stocks provide a solid income stream and have fewer chances of experiencing wild price swings. Dividend stocks, like UNP, are safe bets for creating wealth, as the payouts generally act as a hedge against economic uncertainty, like the current scenario. UNP’s management’s decision to increase its quarterly dividend payout reflects the company’s commitment to boosting shareholder value, apart from underlining confidence in its business. We believe such shareholder-friendly initiatives should boost investor confidence and positively impact thisZacks Rank #3 (Hold) company’s bottom line. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Dividend Hike Announced by Other Transportation Companies in 2025UNP is not the only player from the Zacks Transportation sector that has rewarded its shareholders with dividend payouts or share buyback programs in 2025.To name a few, on July 10, 2025,Ryder System, Inc. (R)’s board of directors has approved a dividend hike of 12%, thereby raising its quarterly cash dividend to 91 cents per share ($3.64 annualized) from 81 cents ($3.24 annualized). The raised dividend will be paid out on Sept. 19, 2025, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Aug. 18, 2025. The move reflects R’s intention to utilize free cash to enhance its shareholders’ returns.R's latest dividend hike is the first increase since July 2024, implying the company’s confidence in its financial footing. This marks Ryder’s 196th consecutive quarterly cash dividend. Notably, Ryder has been making uninterrupted dividend payments for more than 49 years.On June 19, 2025, Delta Air Lines, Inc.’s (DAL) board of directors approved a dividend hike of 25%, thereby raising its quarterly cash dividend to 18.75 per share (75 cents annualized) from 15 cents (60 cents annualized). The raised dividend will be paid on Aug. 21, 2025, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on July 31, 2025. This marked DAL’s second dividend hike since reinstating payouts in June 2023 after a COVID-era suspension.On June 9, 2025, FedEx Corporation’s (FDX) board of directors approved a dividend hike of 5.1%, thereby raising its quarterly cash dividend to $1.45 per share ($5.80 annualized) from $1.38 ($5.52 annualized). The increased dividend will be paid on July 8, 2025, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on June 23, 2025.Notably, FedEx has been consistently making efforts to reward its shareholders through dividends and share buybacks, which are encouraging. During the first nine months of fiscal 2025, FedEx paid dividends worth $1.01 billion and repurchased shares worth $2.52 billion.Zacks' Research Chief Picks Stock Most Likely to "At Least Double"Our experts have revealed their Top 5 recommendations with money-doubling potential – and Director of Research Sheraz Mian believes one is superior to the others. Of course, all our picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier recommendations like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.See Our Top Stock to Double (Plus 4 Runners Up) >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL): Free Stock Analysis Report Union Pacific Corporation (UNP): Free Stock Analysis Report Ryder System, Inc. (R): Free Stock Analysis Report FedEx Corporation (FDX): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks