Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Receives $251.33 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $251.33.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Union Pacific from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Union Pacific from $239.00 to $237.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group raised their price target on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:UNP traded up $1.30 on Friday, hitting $245.93. 2,265,924 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,337,197. Union Pacific has a 12 month low of $190.37 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.07. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $247.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $230.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The business had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.67 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Union Pacific will post 10.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 39.3% in the third quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,407 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 46.9% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 87,905 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $21,596,000 after buying an additional 28,052 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Resource Council purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $606,000. EPG Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 11.3% in the third quarter. EPG Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,405 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $490,000 after buying an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Columbia Trust Co 01012016 increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 now owns 3,577 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $879,000 after buying an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.