Analysts Set Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Target Price at $258.79

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $258.79.

Several analysts recently issued reports on UNP shares. Benchmark reissued 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 report on Tuesday, June 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Daiwa America lowered Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE UNP opened at $245.39 on Friday. Union Pacific has a 52 week low of $199.33 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The company has a market capitalization of $149.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $245.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $238.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.57 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.15%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNP. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.3% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 8,312,154 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,880,701,000 after buying an additional 106,996 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,370,752 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,812,689,000 after purchasing an additional 518,985 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,856,266 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,438,417,000 after purchasing an additional 113,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.7% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,396,974 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,081,348,000 after buying an additional 237,083 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.