Susquehanna Cuts Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Price Target to $333.00

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) had its price objective decreased by Susquehanna from $345.00 to $333.00 in a report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Susquehanna currently has a positive rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on UNP. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $304.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Benchmark boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Citizens Jmp started coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $350.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.00.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.0%

UNP stock opened at $278.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $290.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.86. Union Pacific has a one year low of $215.53 and a one year high of $315.99. The stock has a market cap of $165.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.95.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.85% and a return on equity of 38.46%. The company’s revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific will post 13.01 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st were paid a $1.42 dividend. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 92.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,658,142,000 after buying an additional 9,655,306 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,193,135,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Union Pacific during the second quarter worth approximately $1,094,677,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Union Pacific by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,980,904 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,540,105,000 after buying an additional 2,267,708 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Union Pacific by 16.8% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,463,071 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,509,030,000 after buying an additional 2,084,808 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Union Pacific

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is a freight railroad company that operates one of the largest rail networks in North America. Through its principal subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, the company provides transportation services for businesses across the western two-thirds of the United States.

Union Pacific transports a broad range of commodities and manufactured goods, including agricultural products, automotive vehicles and parts, chemicals, coal, industrial products, forest products, and intermodal containers.