Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on UNP. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 8th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE:UNP traded down $1.39 on Monday, hitting $244.00. The stock had a trading volume of 2,740,563 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,285,995. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market cap of $148.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific has a 1 year low of $199.33 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $245.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $238.95.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The company’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. Analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the sale, the president now owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of UNP. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,682,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,144 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $379,689,000 after purchasing an additional 1,227,318 shares during the last quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $293,162,000. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 35.3% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,118,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,012,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,625 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 115.3% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,070,123 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $262,844,000 after purchasing an additional 573,072 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

About Union Pacific

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.