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

Shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $283.1053.

UNP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 price objective on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $289.00 price target (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $294.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 114,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. This trade represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total transaction of $7,442,691.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 61,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,605,079.52. This trade represents a 30.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,378 shares of company stock valued at $8,781,595. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,329,262 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $13,724,045,000 after buying an additional 659,378 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,330,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,090,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,082,285 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in Union Pacific by 92.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,658,142,000 after purchasing an additional 9,655,306 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,552,550,000 after purchasing an additional 296,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 16.8% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,463,071 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,509,030,000 after purchasing an additional 2,084,808 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock opened at $277.79 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $164.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $266.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $251.76. Union Pacific has a 1 year low of $210.84 and a 1 year high of $279.70.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The company’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.70 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific will post 12.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were given a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 45.47%.

About Union Pacific

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific’s core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two‑thirds of the United States.