Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $258.78.

Several research firms recently weighed in on UNP. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock opened at $240.98 on Tuesday. Union Pacific has a twelve month low of $190.71 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The company has a market cap of $147.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.07. The business’s fifty day moving average is $244.15 and its 200-day moving average is $235.56.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific will post 11.08 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNP. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Company Profile

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. The company offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, ethanol producers, renewable biofuel producers, and other agricultural users; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, petroleum, liquid petroleum gases, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers.