Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $255.00.

UNP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $234.48 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $245.03 and a 200-day moving average of $234.40. The company has a market capitalization of $143.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Union Pacific has a 1-year low of $190.37 and a 1-year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific will post 11.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.71%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.