Benchmark Boosts Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Price Target to $266.00

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) had its price objective hoisted by Benchmark from $260.00 to $266.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on UNP. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a hold rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of 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. Eight 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $253.48.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE UNP opened at $234.40 on Wednesday. Union Pacific has a one year low of $190.37 and a one year high of $258.66. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $247.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $143.01 billion, a PE ratio of 22.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.67 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific will post 10.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.71%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were 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 $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific by 211.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 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.