Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The railroad operator reported $3.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.09, Zacks reports. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The company had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.75 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $220.05 on Friday. Union Pacific has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $256.84. The company has a market cap of $130.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $225.03 and a 200-day moving average of $224.22.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $546,000 after buying an additional 665 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $859,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,401,000 after buying an additional 554 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,528,426 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $351,660,000 after buying an additional 105,664 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 12.8% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,757 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,448,000 after buying an additional 1,782 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $250.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays downgraded shares of Union Pacific from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Loop Capital raised shares of Union Pacific from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $214.00 to $227.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $261.58.

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.