Union Pacific Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:UNP)

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors purchased 9,004 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 84% compared to the typical daily volume of 4,901 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $280.00 price target (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.78.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Union Pacific

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 211.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $242.84 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $148.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50 day moving average is $244.27 and its 200 day moving average is $234.95. Union Pacific has a twelve month low of $190.45 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.67 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific will post 11.01 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.62%.

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.