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

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, thirteen have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $263.00.

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price on the stock. Benchmark upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $234.67 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The company has a market cap of $141.81 billion, a PE ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average of $242.51 and a 200-day moving average of $240.31. Union Pacific has a 1-year low of $218.55 and a 1-year high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Howard Capital Management Group LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 16.4% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,860 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $705,000 after acquiring an additional 403 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its stake in Union Pacific by 2,025.4% during the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $134,636,000 after purchasing an additional 520,536 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.6% during the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 8,906 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,195,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 14.3% in the third quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 1,291 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 44.7% during the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,005 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,973,000 after buying an additional 2,472 shares during the last quarter. 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.