Does the Street Have Union Pacific Figured Out?

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Union Pacific (NYS: UNP) is expected to report Q2 earnings on July 19. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
 Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Union Pacific's revenues will increase 7.6% and EPS will grow 23.3%.

The average estimate for revenue is $5.23 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.96.


Revenue details
 Last quarter, Union Pacific tallied revenue of $5.11 billion. GAAP reported sales were 14% higher than the prior-year quarter's $4.49 billion.

anImage
anImage

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
 Last quarter, EPS came in at $1.79. GAAP EPS of $1.79 for Q1 were 39% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.29 per share.

anImage
anImage

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
 For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 42.1%, 380 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 29.5%, 420 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 16.9%, 270 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $21.28 billion. The average EPS estimate is $8.15.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,275 members out of 1,322 rating the stock outperform, and 47 members rating it underperform. Among 327 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 319 give Union Pacific a green thumbs-up, and eight give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Union Pacific is outperform, with an average price target of $128.13.

Can your retirement portfolio provide you with enough income to last? You'll need more than Union Pacific. Learn about crafting a smarter retirement plan in "The Shocking Can't-Miss Truth About Your Retirement." Click here for instant access to this free report.

The article Does the Street Have Union Pacific Figured Out? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor ofMotley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Advertisement