Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Upgraded by Citigroup to Buy Rating

Citigroup upgraded shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. Citigroup currently has $251.00 price objective on the railroad operator’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $250.00.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $244.00 to $238.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $263.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Baird R W raised shares of Union Pacific to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.38.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $217.19 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $223.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $225.45. Union Pacific has a 12-month low of $204.66 and a 12-month high of $256.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The company has a market cap of $128.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.87, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.03.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.74 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 47.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,856,340,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $988,822,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 22,618.2% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,624,636 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $603,876,000 after acquiring an additional 2,613,083 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 27,502.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,491,151 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $588,510,000 after acquiring an additional 2,482,126 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 35.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,968,658 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,133,053,000 after acquiring an additional 1,294,643 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.