Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Upgraded at Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Friday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $267.00 price objective on the railroad operator’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $248.00.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on UNP. Raymond James reiterated a strong-buy rating and issued a $280.00 price target (up from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com upgraded Union Pacific from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Benchmark lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $259.61.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock opened at $240.36 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $242.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $236.37. Union Pacific has a 52-week low of $190.71 and a 52-week high of $258.66. The company has a market capitalization of $146.65 billion, a PE ratio of 22.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 11.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.16%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $1,832,127,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,478,649,000 after acquiring an additional 19,145 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in Union Pacific by 23.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,682,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,144 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Union Pacific by 4.4% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,803,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,385,457,000 after acquiring an additional 285,988 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,867,842 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,441,260,000 after purchasing an additional 125,522 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.