Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Stock
by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets DailyUnion Pacific (NYSE:UNP – Get Free Report) had its price target upped by Citigroup from $270.00 to $285.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Citigroup’s price target suggests a potential upside of 15.90% from the stock’s previous close.
A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on UNP. Evercore upgraded shares of Union Pacific from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $262.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $245.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $280.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $285.00 price objective (up from $270.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $265.86.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Union Pacific
Union Pacific Trading Up 0.1%
Union Pacific stock traded up $0.36 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $245.90. The company had a trading volume of 2,862,914 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,370,488. Union Pacific has a 12-month low of $204.66 and a 12-month high of $268.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $250.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $236.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $145.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.54, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.91.
Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by ($0.06). Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.12% and a return on equity of 40.89%. The company had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.91 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Transactions at Union Pacific
In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA increased its stake in Union Pacific by 9.8% during the third quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 52,849 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $12,492,000 after purchasing an additional 4,707 shares during the last quarter. Midwest Trust Co increased its stake in Union Pacific by 2.8% during the third quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 281,036 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $66,428,000 after purchasing an additional 7,759 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional increased its stake in Union Pacific by 39.8% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 65,826 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $15,559,000 after purchasing an additional 18,742 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Union Pacific by 15.1% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 135,188 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $31,955,000 after purchasing an additional 17,696 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 29.6% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 653,589 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $154,488,000 after purchasing an additional 149,158 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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.