Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Shares Down 0.6% Following Analyst Downgrade

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) traded down 0.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Evercore ISI downgraded the stock from an outperform rating to an inline rating. Evercore ISI now has a $247.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $254.00. Union Pacific traded as low as $247.16 and last traded at $247.41. 352,911 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 2,278,177 shares. The stock had previously closed at $248.96.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $275.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, September 20th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Loop Capital downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the 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 sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Union Pacific by 211.4% during 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. Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average is $245.76 and its 200-day moving average is $238.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The company has a market cap of $148.18 billion, a PE ratio of 23.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. 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. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.15%.

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.