Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.19 EPS

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19, Briefing.com reports. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $242.84 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $244.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $234.95. The company has a market cap of $148.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.17, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. Union Pacific has a 1 year low of $190.45 and a 1 year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on UNP shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.78.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.