Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Raised to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $267.00 target price on the railroad operator’s stock, up from their prior target price of $248.00.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on UNP. Raymond James reissued a strong-buy rating and issued a $280.00 target price (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Union Pacific from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $280.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $259.61.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded up $2.67 during trading on Friday, reaching $240.36. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,174,714 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,177,795. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $243.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.78. The firm has a market cap of $146.65 billion, a PE ratio of 22.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific has a 52 week low of $190.71 and a 52 week 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.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific will post 11.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Union Pacific

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Silver Oak Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $219,000. Personal CFO Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 39.3% in the third quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,407 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $238,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 46.9% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 87,905 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $21,596,000 after purchasing an additional 28,052 shares during the period. Finally, Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 48.3% during the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 18,512 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,547,000 after purchasing an additional 6,031 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Union Pacific

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.