BMO Capital Markets Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Stock

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) had its price objective hoisted by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $275.00 to $277.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target suggests a potential upside of 11.27% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on UNP. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.57.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:UNP opened at $248.94 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.92 billion, a PE ratio of 22.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific has a fifty-two week low of $218.55 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $234.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $239.40.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 10.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp raised its stake in Union Pacific by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,788,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,109,829,000 after buying an additional 217,780 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,813,686 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,146,451,000 after acquiring an additional 182,620 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after purchasing an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,285,585 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,549,271,000 after purchasing an additional 143,896 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in Union Pacific by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,970,669 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,350,924,000 after purchasing an additional 124,571 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

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.