Wells Fargo & Company Cuts Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Price Target to $265.00

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) had its price objective lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $267.00 to $265.00 in a research note released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

UNP has been the subject of several other research reports. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $252.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI downgraded Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $254.00 to $247.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $260.30.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:UNP opened at $231.58 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $140.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.06. 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’s fifty day moving average price is $234.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $238.63. Union Pacific has a 52-week low of $218.55 and a 52-week high of $258.66.

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

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $379,689,000 after purchasing an additional 1,227,318 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 19,878.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $220,856,000 after buying an additional 891,555 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Union Pacific by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after buying an additional 625,492 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2,025.4% in the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $134,636,000 after acquiring an additional 520,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 170.9% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $181,470,000 after acquiring an additional 464,477 shares during the last quarter. 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.