Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.03 EPS

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03, Briefing.com reports. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $240.36 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $146.65 billion, a PE ratio of 22.94, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $229.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $239.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.05. Union Pacific has a twelve month low of $199.33 and a twelve month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.79.

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.