Analysts Set Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Target Price at $257.86

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation, fifteen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $257.86.

A number of research firms have commented on UNP. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.6 %

UNP traded up $1.31 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $215.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 230,228 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,988,134. Union Pacific has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $226.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $234.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The firm has a market cap of $128.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.40, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.11 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,282,305,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616,895 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in Union Pacific by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,370,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,178 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,927,377,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,686,387 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,752,804,000 after purchasing an additional 363,937 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,962,650 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,587,763,000 after buying an additional 920,414 shares during the period. 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.