Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Rating Increased to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has a $267.00 price target on the railroad operator’s stock, up from their previous price target of $248.00. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 11.08% from the company’s current price.

UNP has been the topic of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.61.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $240.36 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The company has a market capitalization of $146.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific has a twelve month low of $190.71 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $242.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $235.98.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Union Pacific

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $737,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Twin Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,394 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 2,393 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $588,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP grew its stake in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 7,838 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,925,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Berkeley Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,007,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Company Profile

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.