Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Downgraded to Inline at Evercore ISI

Evercore ISI cut shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) from an outperform rating to an inline rating in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $247.00 price target on the railroad operator’s stock, down from their previous price target of $254.00.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on UNP. Daiwa America cut Union Pacific from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Benchmark reiterated a buy rating and issued a $266.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Union Pacific from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital lowered shares of Union Pacific from a buy rating to a hold rating and cut their target price for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $258.11.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $244.22 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $148.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $245.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $238.89. Union Pacific has a fifty-two week low of $199.33 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. 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 (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion for 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%. Union Pacific’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’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 value of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Union Pacific by 23.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,682,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,144 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $379,689,000 after purchasing an additional 1,227,318 shares in the last quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $293,162,000. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 35.3% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,118,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,012,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,625 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $123,297,000. 80.38% of the stock is 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.