Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Stock Rating Lowered by Daiwa America

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

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $251.53 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $153.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $240.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $239.36. Union Pacific has a 1 year low of $199.33 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was 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 owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. 9258 Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,124 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $767,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 2,169 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $533,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 86.8% during the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,589 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $594,000 after buying an additional 1,203 shares during the period. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth $202,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $4,071,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

About Union Pacific

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.