Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Price Target Increased to $210.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) had its price target upped by Morgan Stanley from $198.00 to $210.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Benchmark lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a hold rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Union Pacific from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $280.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Susquehanna raised their price target on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $258.78.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $242.84 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $148.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Union Pacific has a 1-year low of $190.45 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $244.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $234.95.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The company’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific will post 11.01 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Union Pacific

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UNP. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 211.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.