Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Rating Increased to Buy at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Union Pacific's rating from "hold" to "buy", increasing the target price from $250 to $285 per share, indicating a potential upside of 29.01% from the current stock price.
• Current stock performance shows a market cap of $131.99 billion with earnings beating estimates at $3.03 per share, contributing to a quarterly revenue of $6.15 billion.
• Union Pacific has a majority of market analysts rating the stock positively, with 16 out of 27 analysts giving it a buy or strong buy rating.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $285.00 target price on the railroad operator's stock, up from their prior target price of $250.00. Jefferies Financial Group's price target suggests a potential upside of 29.01% from the stock's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $263.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $260.04.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $220.91 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91. The stock has a market cap of $131.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.90, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $227.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $231.07. Union Pacific has a 12 month low of $204.66 and a 12 month high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.76% and a return on equity of 40.80%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.74 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. raised its position in Union Pacific by 319.2% in the fourth quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 4,381 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $999,000 after acquiring an additional 3,336 shares in the last quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $305,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its position in Union Pacific by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 35,139 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $8,013,000 after acquiring an additional 4,302 shares in the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 10,507.9% in the fourth quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 25,459 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $5,806,000 after acquiring an additional 25,219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 7,152.9% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 5,077 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,158,000 after acquiring an additional 5,007 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.

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