Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.19 EPS

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) released its earnings results on Thursday. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19, Briefing.com reports. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $242.84 on Friday. Union Pacific has a 12 month low of $190.45 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $244.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $234.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The firm has a market cap of $148.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Benchmark increased their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.78.

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.