BMO Capital Markets Lowers Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Price Target to $275.00

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) had its price target decreased by BMO Capital Markets from $280.00 to $275.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 12.68% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Daiwa America downgraded Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.8 %

Union Pacific stock traded down $4.39 on Friday, hitting $244.05. 1,916,283 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,256,649. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $245.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $239.23. The firm has a market cap of $148.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific has a 1 year low of $199.33 and a 1 year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.57 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNP. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,088,000. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,273,959 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $558,542,000 after buying an additional 222,318 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 19.0% during the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 126,369 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $31,078,000 after buying an additional 20,173 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 75,365 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $18,511,000 after acquiring an additional 4,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&G Plc purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the first quarter worth about $10,378,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

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.