Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Wall Street Brokerages

by · The Markets Daily

Shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP – Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $325.09.

A number of analysts have commented on UNP shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $313.00 to $323.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Union Pacific from $346.00 to $347.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Erste Group Bank initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $320.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Union Pacific

Union Pacific Price Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $290.50 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $286.72 and its 200 day moving average is $271.90. Union Pacific has a one year low of $218.20 and a one year high of $315.99. The firm has a market cap of $172.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.06. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 37.54%. The company had revenue of $7.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.08 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 13.13 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UNP. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 4.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 27,890,598 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $7,586,243,000 after buying an additional 1,302,732 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.4% during 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 buying an additional 64,492 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,193,135,000. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake 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 worth $1,120,251,000 after acquiring an additional 23,698 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,094,677,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Union Pacific

(Get Free Report)

Union Pacific Corporation operates one of the largest freight rail networks in the United States through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad. Its network serves 23 states across the western two-thirds of the country and connects with other railroads, ports and border crossings, including routes to Mexico and Canada.

The company transports a broad range of goods, including agricultural products, industrial materials, coal and energy products, and consumer merchandise. Its services support industries such as manufacturing, construction, agriculture, automotive and retail, with intermodal transportation combining rail with truck and shipping services.

Union Pacific traces its history to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and played a central role in building the first transcontinental railroad, completed in 1869.

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