Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Citigroup Analyst Says

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) had its target price upped by equities researchers at Citigroup from $244.00 to $270.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the railroad operator's stock. Citigroup's price target would indicate a potential upside of 13.92% from the stock's current price.

UNP has been the topic of several other research reports. Robert W. Baird started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $231.00 price target on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Union Pacific to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target 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. Baird R W upgraded shares of Union Pacific to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $271.00 price target (up previously from $267.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $256.63.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP traded up $0.51 on Wednesday, hitting $237.00. The stock had a trading volume of 2,630,094 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,729,528. Union Pacific has a twelve month low of $204.66 and a twelve month high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $225.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $231.03. The company has a market capitalization of $141.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Institutional Trading of Union Pacific

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,927,377,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth approximately $988,822,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 27,502.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,491,151 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $588,510,000 after buying an additional 2,482,126 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,282,305,000 after buying an additional 1,616,895 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,370,559,000 after buying an additional 1,298,178 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is 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.