Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) Receives $282.21 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $282.2105.

UNP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $277.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 price objective on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total value of $549,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 114,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,377 shares of company stock worth $9,251,221. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. raised its position in Union Pacific by 2.3% during the first quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 17,407 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,223,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Wealthquest Corp grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.7% in the first quarter. Wealthquest Corp now owns 1,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. DV Trading LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at approximately $243,000. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 6.1% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,441 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,563,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 20.1% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 157,798 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $38,285,000 after purchasing an additional 26,422 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $268.50 on Friday. Union Pacific has a 52-week low of $210.84 and a 52-week high of $279.70. The stock has a market cap of $159.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.12, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $261.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $248.52.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.70 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 12.53 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.47%.

Union Pacific Company Profile

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific’s core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two‑thirds of the United States.