Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The company’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP traded down $0.55 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $243.00. 1,030,072 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,317,354. The stock has a market cap of $148.25 billion, a PE ratio of 23.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.07. The business’s fifty day moving average is $244.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11. Union Pacific has a one year low of $190.45 and a one year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Eight 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.57.

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.