Barclays Lowers Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Price Target to $275.00

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) had its target price dropped by equities researchers at Barclays from $280.00 to $275.00 in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 19.07% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Bank of America lowered 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, September 24th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Raymond James lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Daiwa America lowered Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.30.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock traded up $0.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $230.95. 1,778,781 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,275,620. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $246.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $238.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $140.69 billion, a PE ratio of 21.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific has a 1 year low of $199.97 and a 1 year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.51 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the president now owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UNP. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Tributary Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 3,250.0% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 130 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.