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

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) had its price objective increased by Royal Bank of Canada from $275.00 to $288.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. Royal Bank of Canada currently has an outperform rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on UNP. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued an overweight rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered 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 note on Monday, July 8th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Union Pacific from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Union Pacific from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $259.32.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $243.35 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $246.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $238.86. The company has a market cap of $148.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.22, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific has a 12-month low of $199.33 and a 12-month high of $258.66. 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 (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were given a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 51.15%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Union Pacific by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 8,312,154 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,880,701,000 after purchasing an additional 106,996 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $1,812,689,000 after purchasing an additional 518,985 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.1% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,970,669 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,350,924,000 after buying an additional 124,571 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,856,266 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,438,417,000 after buying an additional 113,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.7% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,396,974 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,081,348,000 after buying an additional 237,083 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.