Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation, fourteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $258.2083.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UNP. Barclays downgraded shares of Union Pacific from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $244.00 to $238.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 103.5% during the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 1,400.0% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 120 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $215.96 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Union Pacific has a 12 month low of $204.66 and a 12 month high of $256.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $128.08 billion, a PE ratio of 18.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.03. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $226.27.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The business had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.74 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.96%.

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.