Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Now Covered by Erste Group Bank

Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) in a note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage set a “buy” rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on UNP. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $317.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 price target (up from $282.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $310.00 price target (up from $286.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $305.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $320.89.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded down $2.32 during trading on Thursday, reaching $308.30. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 613,910 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,088,888. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Union Pacific has a 52-week low of $210.84 and a 52-week high of $315.99. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $289.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $269.15. The company has a market cap of $183.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.97, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.96.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.85% and a return on equity of 38.46%. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at $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 available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Union Pacific

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 29,250.5% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 247,700,336 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $67,374,491,000 after acquiring an additional 246,856,396 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its stake in Union Pacific by 92.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,658,142,000 after purchasing an additional 9,655,306 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,779,907,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,193,135,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,094,677,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.