Union Pacific’s (UNP) Strong-Buy Rating Reaffirmed at Raymond James

Raymond James reaffirmed their strong-buy rating on shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) in a research report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $280.00 price target on the railroad operator’s stock, up from their previous price target of $275.00.

UNP has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a hold rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $258.78.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $242.84 on Friday. Union Pacific has a 12 month low of $190.45 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.17, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a 50-day moving average of $244.27 and a 200-day moving average of $234.95.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. Union Pacific’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.67 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $1,832,127,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 108.9% in the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,128,575 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $840,702,000 after purchasing an additional 2,151,893 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 62.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,496,708 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,119,295,000 after acquiring an additional 2,119,382 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,682,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winslow Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $293,162,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.