Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Stock Price Down 0.6% Following Analyst Downgrade

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) dropped 0.6% on Wednesday after Evercore ISI downgraded the stock from an outperform rating to an inline rating. Evercore ISI now has a $247.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $254.00. Union Pacific traded as low as $247.16 and last traded at $247.41. Approximately 352,911 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 2,278,177 shares. The stock had previously closed at $248.96.

UNP has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Bank of America dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $275.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in Union Pacific by 0.6% during the first quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,037 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,731,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 1.4% in the first quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,015 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $741,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 1.7% in the second quarter. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $584,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management raised its position in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the second quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 8,202 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,856,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevated Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 3.6% during the first quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.12 billion, a PE ratio of 23.61, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $245.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $238.94.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.57 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.15%.

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.