Sanford C. Bernstein Trims Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Target Price to $272.00

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) had its price target lowered by Sanford C. Bernstein from $277.00 to $272.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on UNP. StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Pacific from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Daiwa America lowered Union Pacific from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Benchmark reissued a buy rating and issued a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Nine equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $259.50.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.5 %

UNP opened at $242.31 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $245.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $238.59. Union Pacific has a one year low of $199.97 and a one year high of $258.66. The stock has a market cap of $147.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific will post 11.06 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 50.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the sale, the president now owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Union Pacific

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter valued at $1,088,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in Union Pacific by 19.0% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 126,369 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $31,078,000 after purchasing an additional 20,173 shares during the last quarter. Shellback Capital LP increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 28.2% in the second quarter. Shellback Capital LP now owns 20,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,525,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter worth about $834,000. Finally, M&G Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter worth about $10,378,000. 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.