Royal Bank of Canada Reaffirms “Outperform” Rating for Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP)

Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed their outperform rating on shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) in a research report released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $275.00 price objective on the railroad operator’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a buy rating to a hold rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.6 %

UNP stock opened at $244.00 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $245.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $238.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific has a 52 week low of $199.33 and a 52 week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.57 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific will post 11.11 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNP. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 211.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.