Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) to Issue $1.34 Quarterly Dividend

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 6th,RTT News reports. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of 1.34 per share by the railroad operator on Monday, March 31st. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%.

Union Pacific has increased its dividend payment by an average of 7.2% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 18 years. Union Pacific has a dividend payout ratio of 40.0% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Union Pacific to earn $13.05 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $5.36 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 41.1%.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $243.61 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $235.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $240.15. The company has a market capitalization of $147.69 billion, a PE ratio of 21.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 12.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Benchmark boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $261.40.

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.