Brokerages Set Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) PT at $255.00

Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $255.00.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UNP. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Alta Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 41.5% during the first quarter. Alta Capital Management LLC now owns 12,036 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,960,000 after purchasing an additional 3,529 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 3,190 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $785,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 84,640 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $20,816,000 after buying an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 6.3% during the first quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 884 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $217,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advocate Group LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Advocate Group LLC now owns 33,196 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $8,164,000 after purchasing an additional 1,538 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock opened at $243.52 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $244.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $234.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.81. Union Pacific has a one year low of $190.37 and a one year high of $258.66. The firm has a market cap of $148.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.28, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. Union Pacific’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.67 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific will post 11.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.71%.

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.