Union Pacific reports 15 percent rise in profit

Union Pacific Corp posted a 15 percent rise in profit as an increase in the largest publicly traded U.S. railroad's shipments of freight, including autos, offset weak coal shipments.

The company said on Thursday third-quarter profit was $1.04 billion, or $2.19 per share, compared with $904 million, or $1.85 per share, a year earlier.

Earnings were a penny per share higher than analysts' average forecast of $2.18 a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Revenue rose 4.7 percent to $5.34 billion, from $5.1 billion, a year earlier. Wall Street had anticipated $5.38 billion.

(Reporting By Scott Malone; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Maureen Bavdek)