Raymond James Reiterates Strong-Buy Rating for Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP)

Raymond James reissued their strong-buy rating on shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) in a research report released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $280.00 price target on the railroad operator’s stock, up from their prior price target of $275.00.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $258.78.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $240.98 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $244.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $235.56. The stock has a market cap of $147.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific has a 12-month low of $190.71 and a 12-month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Union Pacific

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,832,127,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,478,649,000 after purchasing an additional 19,145 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 23.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,682,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,144 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Union Pacific by 4.4% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,803,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,385,457,000 after purchasing an additional 285,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,867,842 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,441,260,000 after purchasing an additional 125,522 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.