Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Upgraded at Redburn Atlantic

Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $259.00 price target on the railroad operator’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $257.50.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $220.26 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $235.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $236.47. Union Pacific has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $132.01 billion, a PE ratio of 19.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific 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 directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 103.5% during the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. EnRich Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, PrairieView Partners LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.