Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Reaches New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $218.50 and last traded at $220.65, with a volume of 5517 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $223.97.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $261.95.

Union Pacific Stock Down 5.0 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $127.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 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. The business’s 50-day moving average is $242.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $238.75.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share 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 posted $2.71 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.52%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of UNP. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,927,377,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,035,905,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,282,305,000 after acquiring an additional 1,616,895 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,370,559,000 after acquiring an additional 1,298,178 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 35.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,968,658 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,133,053,000 after acquiring an additional 1,294,643 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

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.