Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $258.79.

• Industrial's building a base for upward momentum

UNP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $275.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Daiwa America downgraded Union Pacific from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Pacific from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Union Pacific

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

• All Aboard! The Sell-Side Has Railroads In Reversal

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the sale, the president now owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of UNP. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Union Pacific by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,682,931,000 after buying an additional 1,285,144 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $379,689,000 after purchasing an additional 1,227,318 shares during the last quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $293,162,000. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 35.3% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,118,477 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,012,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,625 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 115.3% in the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,070,123 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $262,844,000 after purchasing an additional 573,072 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Down 1.1 %

• Canadian Pacific Kansas City Is on the Right Track

NYSE:UNP opened at $248.44 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $245.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $239.23. Union Pacific has a fifty-two week low of $199.33 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $151.35 billion, a PE ratio of 23.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The business's quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. This is a positive change from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.16%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

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.

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