Brokerages Set Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) Price Target at $259.50

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $259.5833.

UNP has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $280.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Loop Capital raised shares of Union Pacific from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $214.00 to $227.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Citigroup set a $264.00 price objective on Union Pacific and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $285.00 target price (up from $270.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $263.00 price target on Union Pacific and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd.

Institutional Trading of Union Pacific

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Perkins Coie Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 17,539 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,057,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC now owns 24,776 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $5,731,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares during the period. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,112 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,414,000 after acquiring an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 156,407 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $36,180,000 after acquiring an additional 5,787 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.5%

UNP stock opened at $229.55 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $229.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $227.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. Union Pacific has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $256.84. The stock has a market cap of $136.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.24 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.23% and a net margin of 28.73%.The business’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.75 EPS. Analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 46.90%.

Union Pacific Company Profile

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific’s core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two‑thirds of the United States.