Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.78.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE UNP opened at $242.79 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $148.13 billion, a PE ratio of 23.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific has a fifty-two week low of $190.45 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $244.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $235.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.67 EPS. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 11.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UNP. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 211.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.