Brokerages Set Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Price Target at $259.80

Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $259.80.

Several research firms have recently commented on UNP. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 3,250.0% in the second quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 265.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $231.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $234.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $238.56. The stock has a market cap of $140.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific has a one year low of $218.55 and a one year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.51 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 10.94 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.22%.

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.