Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Price Target Lowered to $253.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) had its price target decreased by Stifel Nicolaus from $262.00 to $253.00 in a research report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on UNP. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI downgraded shares of Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.35.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $234.88 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $234.14 and a 200-day moving average of $238.82. The company has a market capitalization of $142.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.57, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.51 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific will post 10.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.22%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Chesapeake Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% in the second quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 8,202 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,856,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Traveka Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.4% in the third quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,357 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $335,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Red Mountain Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the third quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 2,276 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $561,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Link Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.2% in the third quarter. True Link Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $990,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.