Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) Receives $259.54 Average Price Target from Analysts

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $260.3333.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $258.00 to $257.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $272.00 target price (up previously from $257.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $263.00 price target on Union Pacific and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, October 24th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 10.6% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 93,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $21,475,000 after buying an additional 8,925 shares during the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 26.4% during the 2nd quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 23,875 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $5,494,000 after acquiring an additional 4,980 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 52,849 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $12,492,000 after acquiring an additional 4,707 shares during the period. SCS Capital Management LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 165.2% in the 2nd quarter. SCS Capital Management LLC now owns 34,808 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,009,000 after acquiring an additional 21,685 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Markel Group Inc. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 13.4% in the second quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 97,278 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $22,382,000 after purchasing an additional 11,500 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.0%

Union Pacific stock opened at $234.31 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $138.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $226.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $226.18. Union Pacific has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $256.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.09. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.73% and a return on equity of 42.23%. The company had revenue of $6.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.75 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.90%.

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.