Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Downgraded by Daiwa America to Hold

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) was downgraded by investment analysts at Daiwa America from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Zacks.com reports.

UNP has been the topic of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 29th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Eight equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP stock traded down $1.96 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $253.74. The company had a trading volume of 431,655 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,255,123. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $239.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $239.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $154.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific has a 52 week low of $199.33 and a 52 week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $1,832,127,000. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,285,144 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $379,689,000 after buying an additional 1,227,318 shares during the last quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $293,162,000. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 35.3% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,118,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,012,857,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073,625 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently 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.