12 Safe Stocks to Buy for the Long Term in 2025

9. Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 78    

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) operates in the railroad business in the United States. There are various reasons why this company makes an excellent investment. First and foremost, the company’s impressive dividend growth with 18 consecutive years of increases, greatly surpassing the sector median of 2.4 years by 686%. Secondly, the company has also maintained 35 consecutive years of dividend payments, outperforming the sector median of 13.2 years by 164%. This reflects the company’s financial strength and its efforts to return value to its shareholders with consistent dividend growth over an extended period. Moreover, Union Pacific Corp has advanced its core operating platforms, including Positive Train Control (PTC), Computer-Aided Dispatch (CADx), and Transportation Management (NetControl), which would improve safety. Lastly, the company has installed Precision Gate Technology (PGT) that allows for efficient access to and from ramps and a rolling-gate experience for drivers, reducing the time it takes to find and drop off containers.