Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Sets New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) shares hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $282.19 and last traded at $280.9050, with a volume of 132589 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $277.73.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $289.00 price target (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Benchmark boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $274.00 target price (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $300.00 price target (up from $260.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.11.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $266.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $251.76. The firm has a market cap of $167.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.70 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.55 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.47%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the 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 directly owned 114,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,492,157.40. This trade represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 40.4% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,741,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $859,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 10.0% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,401,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 7.4% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,528,426 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $351,660,000 after purchasing an additional 105,664 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.