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

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $259.35.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI downgraded shares of Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $254.00 to $247.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:UNP opened at $235.77 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $142.94 billion, a PE ratio of 21.65, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific has a 52-week low of $218.55 and a 52-week high of $258.66. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $233.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $239.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.51 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 10.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $689,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. BSW Wealth Partners grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 5,698 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,299,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 42,937 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $9,791,000 after acquiring an additional 1,327 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY now owns 68,721 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $15,671,000 after buying an additional 821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Griffin Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,621 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,650,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.