Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Stock Rating Lowered by Robert W. Baird

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) was downgraded by equities researchers at Robert W. Baird from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, Zacks reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $328.00 target price on Union Pacific in a report on Friday, October 23rd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $339.00 target price (up from $310.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Union Pacific from $346.00 to $347.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $325.09.

Union Pacific Trading Down 3.6%

Shares of UNP opened at $297.36 on Thursday. Union Pacific has a twelve month low of $216.32 and a twelve month high of $315.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $176.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.18, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $287.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $271.56.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $7.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.16 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 37.54%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.08 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 13.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UNP. State Street Corp increased its position in Union Pacific by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 27,890,598 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $7,586,243,000 after purchasing an additional 1,302,732 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,527,563 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,951,497,000 after purchasing an additional 64,492 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,617,313 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,120,251,000 after purchasing an additional 23,698 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,193,135,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,094,677,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Company Profile

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is a transportation company that operates one of the largest freight railroad networks in the United States. Through its Union Pacific Railroad subsidiary, the company moves goods across the western two-thirds of the country, connecting major agricultural, industrial, energy, population and port markets.

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