Royal Bank of Canada Raises Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Price Target to $288.00

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) had its price target increased by research analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $275.00 to $288.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 17.45% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Loop Capital lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.4 %

UNP stock traded up $1.00 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $245.22. The stock had a trading volume of 732,969 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,279,322. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.40, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific has a 1-year low of $199.33 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The company has a fifty day moving average of $245.80 and a 200 day moving average of $238.82.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. Union Pacific’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.57 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Trading of Union Pacific

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 8,312,154 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,880,701,000 after buying an additional 106,996 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,370,752 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,812,689,000 after acquiring an additional 518,985 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,970,669 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,350,924,000 after acquiring an additional 124,571 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,856,266 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,438,417,000 after purchasing an additional 113,946 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,396,974 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,081,348,000 after purchasing an additional 237,083 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Company Profile

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.