Union Pacific’s (UNP) Strong-Buy Rating Reaffirmed at Raymond James

Raymond James reaffirmed their strong-buy rating on shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) in a research report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $280.00 target price on the railroad operator’s stock, up from their prior target price of $275.00.

UNP has been the topic of several other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $258.78.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $242.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization 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 has a 1-year low of $190.45 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $244.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.95.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.67 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’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 value of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNP. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

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.