Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Hits New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday after Stephens upgraded the stock to a strong-buy rating. The company traded as high as $285.79 and last traded at $283.0680, with a volume of 2024904 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $282.59.

UNP has been the subject of a number of other research reports. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $274.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. 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 report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $294.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $288.78.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value 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 represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595. Corporate 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 the stock. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. SWAN Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2,575.0% in the 4th quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. High Point Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $268.77 and its 200-day moving average is $253.70. The stock has a market cap of $169.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.96. 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 (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.70 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.56 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.