Does Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) Pay a Dividend? (2026)
Last updated July 2026
Short answer
Yes. Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) pays a dividend yielding about 1.94% as of August 2026, paid quarterly, four times a year. The latest payment on record was $1.38 per share, ex-dividend May 29, 2026. The forward annual rate is roughly $5.68 per share, about $194 a year on a $10,000 position before tax. The payout takes about 45% of earnings. Figures are approximate and dated; verify the current number with your broker.
Does Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) pay a dividend?
Yes. Union Pacific Corporation distributes a dividend yielding roughly 1.94% as of August 2026, paid quarterly, four times a year. The most recent payment on record was $1.38 per share, with an ex-dividend date of May 29, 2026. Annualized, that is about $5.68 per share.
At roughly 21x trailing earnings, UNP trades near its own 3-year and 5-year historical average P/E, suggesting the market is pricing in steady but not exceptional growth rather than a valuation premium. The ~29% net profit margin (net income of $7.1 billion on $24.5 billion in revenue for 2025) reflects the structural cost advantages of the U.S. Class I railroad oligopoly and the efficiency gains from PSR. The pending Norfolk Southern merger introduces both meaningful upside (synergies of at least $2 billion in incremental net revenue projected) and execution and regulatory risk that investors are still digesting.
UNP dividend at a glance
| 2026-05-29 | $1.38 |
| 2026-02-27 | $1.38 |
| 2025-12-05 | $1.38 |
| 2025-08-29 | $1.38 |
| 2025-05-30 | $1.34 |
| 2025-02-28 | $1.34 |
UNP dividend data as of August 2026, sourced from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. Yield moves with price and payout; confirm the current dividend and ex-date with UNP's investor relations page before relying on it.
Is the UNP dividend covered?
Union Pacific Corporation paid out about 45% of its earnings as dividends, so the payout is comfortably covered. That is the range most established dividend payers sit in: enough profit is retained to keep funding the business, with room to raise the dividend if earnings grow.
Coverage is the question worth asking before yield. A dividend is only as good as the earnings behind it, and the highest yields on any screen are often the ones closest to being cut. Walnut is informational and is not an investment adviser.
How the UNP dividend has changed
The latest payment of $1.38 per share compares with $1.34 in the equivalent payment a year earlier (May 30, 2025). That is a change of 3.0% over the year.
A single year says little on its own. What dividend-growth investors track is the multi-year record: whether the payout has risen through a downturn, and whether the raises have kept pace with inflation. That record is on UNP's investor relations page.
What UNP's dividend means for you
- Income: about $194 a year per $10,000 invested, before tax.
- Yield is a ratio, not a payment: it rises when the share price falls. A jump in yield without a raise in the dividend means the stock got cheaper, which may or may not be good news.
- Total return: for UNP the dividend is one part of return and price change is usually the larger part. Compare total return, not yield, when weighing it against another holding.
- Reinvest or take the cash: a DRIP compounds the position automatically; taking the cash gives you income now. Either way it is taxable in a taxable account.
- If you want more yield: dedicated dividend names and funds target higher, steadier payouts. See the best dividend stocks and best dividend ETFs.
How UNP dividends are taxed
Dividends from US common stock are usually qualified, which means they are taxed at long-term capital-gains rates rather than as ordinary income, as long as you held the shares for more than 60 days in the 121-day window around the ex-dividend date. Distributions from REITs and BDCs generally do not qualify and are taxed as ordinary income. Inside an IRA, Roth, or 401(k) none of this applies while the money stays in the account. Full detail is in how dividends are taxed. This is not tax advice.
The bottom line on the UNP dividend
Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) pays about 1.94%, or roughly $5.68 per share a year. At that level the dividend is a modest supplement rather than the reason to own it: the case rests on total return. For the full picture see the UNP guide. Walnut can show how UNP fits your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.
Investing in Union Pacific Corporation with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how UNP fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
Does Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) pay a dividend?
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Yes. Union Pacific Corporation pays a dividend yielding roughly 1.94% as of August 2026, paid quarterly, four times a year. The most recent payment on record was $1.38 per share with an ex-dividend date of May 29, 2026. That works out to a forward annual rate of about $5.68 per share. Yields move with the share price, so verify the current figure with your broker or UNP's investor relations page before relying on it.
What is UNP's dividend yield?
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About 1.94% as of August 2026. On a $10,000 position that is roughly $194 of dividend income a year before tax. For context, the S&P 500 yields around 1.2%, so UNP yields meaningfully more than the broad market. A higher yield is not automatically better: it can reflect a falling share price as easily as a generous payout, so it is worth checking why the number is what it is.
How often does UNP pay its dividend?
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Union Pacific Corporation pays quarterly, four times a year. The most recent payment on record had an ex-dividend date of May 29, 2026. To receive a given payment you have to own the shares before the ex-dividend date, not on the pay date. Confirm upcoming dates on UNP's investor relations page, because boards can change both the amount and the timing.
When is UNP's ex-dividend date?
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The ex-dividend date recorded in our August 2026 data pull is August 31, 2026. The ex-dividend date is the cutoff: buy on or after it and the seller keeps that payment, not you. Buying just before the ex-date to capture the dividend does not create free money, because the share price typically drops by roughly the dividend amount when the stock goes ex. Check UNP's investor relations page for the next confirmed date.
Has Union Pacific Corporation raised its dividend recently?
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Yes. The latest payment of $1.38 per share is above the $1.34 paid in the same slot a year earlier, an increase of about 3.0%. One raise is not a policy, though: check the multi-year record on UNP's investor relations page, since a long streak of increases is what dividend-growth investors actually look for.
Is UNP's dividend safe?
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Union Pacific Corporation paid out about 45% of its earnings as dividends, so the payout is comfortably covered. That is the range most established dividend payers sit in: enough profit is retained to keep funding the business, with room to raise the dividend if earnings grow. Nobody can guarantee a dividend: boards cut them, and a high yield is sometimes the market pricing in exactly that. Walnut is not an investment adviser and this is not a recommendation.
How much would I earn in dividends from a $10,000 position in UNP?
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At a yield of about 1.94%, roughly $194 a year before tax, spread across 4 payments. That is a snapshot, not a promise: the amount changes when the company changes its payout, and your yield on cost is fixed at the price you paid, not at today's price.
Are UNP dividends qualified for tax purposes?
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Dividends from US common stock are usually qualified, meaning they are taxed at the lower long-term capital-gains rates, provided you held the shares for more than 60 days in the 121-day window around the ex-dividend date. Distributions from REITs, BDCs, and some pass-through structures are generally taxed as ordinary income instead. In an IRA or Roth the question does not arise. See our guide to how dividends are taxed. This is not tax advice.
Should I reinvest UNP dividends?
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Most brokers offer automatic reinvestment (a DRIP) that puts each UNP payment straight back into more shares, often fractional ones. Reinvesting compounds the position and is the standard choice when you do not need the cash yet. Taking the cash makes sense when you are spending the income or want to direct it elsewhere. Either way the dividend is taxable in a taxable account in the year it is paid, even if you never see the money.
Does UNP pay a dividend?
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Yes. As of June 2026, Union Pacific pays a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, reflecting a long and consistent payout history. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 3% in Q3 2025. With roughly $7.1 billion in annual net income and strong operating cash flow, dividend coverage appears robust, though share repurchases have been paused while the Norfolk Southern merger is pending regulatory approval.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Dividend figures on this page come from a August 2026 data pull and are approximate; verify the current yield, amount, schedule, and policy with UNP's investor relations page or your broker before acting on them.