Union Pacific rises on quarterly earnings beat

** Shares of US railroad operator Union Pacific UNP.N rise nearly 2% to $294

** Co beats Wall Street estimates for third-quarter profit, helped by core pricing gains, but flags a hit from higher fuel prices

** The Middle East conflict has pushed energy prices higher, increasing fuel costs for transportation companies and putting pressure on margins across sectors, including trucking, logistics and aviation

** Co says higher fuel costs hurt its operating ratio (OR) by 140 basis points during the quarter, although the ratio improved by 10 basis points to 59.1%

** Reports Q3 adjusted profit per share of $3.53, above analysts' estimates of $3.47 — data compiled by LSEG

** Its quarterly operating revenue came in at $7.2 billion, compared with $6.24 billion from a year earlier. Analysts expected $7.13 billion

** Including session moves, stock up 27% YTD