Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of UNP opened at $242.79 on Friday. Union Pacific has a fifty-two week low of $190.45 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The company has a market capitalization of $148.13 billion, a PE ratio of 23.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $244.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $280.00 target price (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Benchmark raised their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.78.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.28% 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.