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

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation, fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $258.2083.

Several research firms have commented on UNP. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Citigroup cut shares of Union Pacific from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $270.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, July 15th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 103.5% in the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $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 valued at $30,000. Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock opened at $215.91 on Friday. Union Pacific has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $256.84. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $225.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $226.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $128.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.03.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.74 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 47.96%.

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.