Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Stock Price

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) had its price objective cut by Wells Fargo & Company from $267.00 to $265.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the railroad operator’s stock.

UNP has been the topic of a number of other reports. Susquehanna decreased their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $260.30.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $231.58 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $140.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $234.80 and a 200-day moving average of $238.63. Union Pacific has a one year low of $218.55 and a one year high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.51 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.22%.

Institutional Trading of Union Pacific

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 103.1% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 35,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $8,770,000 after acquiring an additional 18,060 shares during the last quarter. Shellback Capital LP lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 28.2% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Peoples Bank KS bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $834,000. Maj Invest Holding A S grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% during the third quarter. Maj Invest Holding A S now owns 676,098 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $166,645,000 after buying an additional 2,202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 61.5% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 10,500 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,394,000 after buying an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.