Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Shares Gap Up to $231.98

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) shares gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $231.98, but opened at $240.24. Union Pacific shares last traded at $242.74, with a volume of 1,104,255 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNP. Raymond James increased their price target on Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $255.00.

Union Pacific Stock Up 5.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $244.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.62. The company has a market capitalization of $148.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The company’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.67 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Pacific

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $737,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,394 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 2,393 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $588,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 7,838 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,925,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Berkeley Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,007,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

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.