Analysts Set Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) PT at $261.40

Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $261.40.

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th.

Union Pacific Trading Down 1.7 %

UNP opened at $247.02 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $149.27 billion, a PE ratio of 22.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company has a fifty day moving average of $237.20 and a 200-day moving average of $240.57.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 12.01 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNP. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 344,840 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $78,636,000 after acquiring an additional 21,700 shares during the last quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC now owns 5,290 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,206,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Columbia River Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $1,469,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $161,000. Finally, Pacific Point Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $605,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.