Union Pacific Co. Plans Quarterly Dividend of $1.34 (NYSE:UNP)

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 6th,RTT News reports. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of 1.34 per share by the railroad operator on Monday, March 31st. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%.

Union Pacific has increased its dividend by an average of 7.2% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 18 consecutive years. Union Pacific has a payout ratio of 39.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Union Pacific to earn $13.05 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $5.36 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 41.1%.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Union Pacific stock traded down $0.87 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $243.61. 1,572,907 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,882,110. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $235.23 and its 200-day moving average is $240.15. Union Pacific has a 12 month low of $218.55 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The stock has a market cap of $147.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.97, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific will post 12.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.40.

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.