Raymond James Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) Stock

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) had its price target hoisted by Raymond James from $260.00 to $265.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “strong-buy” rating on the railroad operator’s stock. Raymond James’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 17.05% from the stock’s previous close.

UNP has been the subject of several other reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.80.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded down $5.43 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $226.39. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 827,271 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,258,204. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $234.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $238.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77. Union Pacific has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The company has a market cap of $137.25 billion, a PE ratio of 20.79, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its 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). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.51 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Union Pacific will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 265.7% during the third quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 111.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.