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

Shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $280.4737.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $277.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective (up from $260.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total value of $469,625.07. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 61,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,605,079.52. This represents a 30.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 31,386 shares of company stock worth $8,461,716. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 92.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,658,142,000 after acquiring an additional 9,655,306 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,779,907,000. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 95.0% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,713,196 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,059,538,000 after acquiring an additional 4,244,226 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 72.7% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,177,002 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,169,168,000 after acquiring an additional 3,861,636 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 16.8% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,463,071 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,509,030,000 after acquiring an additional 2,084,808 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE UNP opened at $271.30 on Wednesday. Union Pacific has a 1-year low of $210.84 and a 1-year high of $276.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The company has a market capitalization of $161.07 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $252.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $243.02.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly 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. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.70 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.