Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.15 EPS

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15, RTT News reports. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.71 EPS.

Union Pacific Trading Up 5.1 %

Shares of UNP opened at $247.83 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $233.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $239.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $150.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on UNP shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.35.

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.