Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Stephens

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) was upgraded by analysts at Stephens to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $294.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $289.00 target price (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $307.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $287.72.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of UNP opened at $281.42 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Union Pacific has a 12 month low of $210.84 and a 12 month high of $285.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $268.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $253.35. The firm has a market cap of $167.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.18, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.96.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The business had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.70 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 12.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value of $7,442,691.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,605,079.52. This trade represents a 30.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,329,262 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $13,724,045,000 after purchasing an additional 659,378 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in Union Pacific by 4.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,552,550,000 after acquiring an additional 296,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 16.8% in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Company Profile

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.