Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Given Outperform Rating at Royal Bank of Canada

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reissued by investment analysts at Royal Bank of Canada in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $275.00 price target on the railroad operator’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price target points to a potential upside of 13.25% from the company’s previous close.

UNP has been the topic of a number of other reports. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP traded down $5.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $242.82. 663,475 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,249,766. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The business has a 50-day moving average of $245.15 and a 200 day moving average of $239.23. Union Pacific has a one year low of $199.33 and a one year high of $258.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.19, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the president now owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Union Pacific by 1.3% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 8,312,154 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,880,701,000 after purchasing an additional 106,996 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,370,752 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,812,689,000 after buying an additional 518,985 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.1% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,970,669 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,350,924,000 after buying an additional 124,571 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,856,266 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,438,417,000 after buying an additional 113,946 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 5.7% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,396,974 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,081,348,000 after acquiring an additional 237,083 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.