Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-four brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, fifteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $257.74.

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $263.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded up $0.34 during trading on Friday, reaching $222.35. 4,274,305 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,690,554. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.61. Union Pacific has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $258.07. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $221.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $230.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $132.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.76% and a return on equity of 40.80%. The firm's revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $20,683,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $64,000. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,449 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $330,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Drum Hill Capital LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $675,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.