Union Pacific CorpUNPBUY ON WEAKNESSJul 22, 2015Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Sep 10, 2026. Market Open.
Right now the US economy is doing better, so this stock's started to pick up again from April lows. But not shooting the lights out. This rail hauls agricultural, auto, and chemical products.
Biggest challenge is what are these railroads carrying? CNR has suffered in Canada because it's one of the largest shippers of vehicles, and tariffs are causing issues. Economy will drive how well the rails do. They've been going sideways, and there's no catalyst right now. If you want to buy now, you'll need to be patient.
They have done good things. The problem he has with this and all rails is valuation. The drop in price is helping the valuation. Trading at about 15X this year’s earnings and is starting to get into range, but it is at the high end of its historical range. He would like to see it correct a little more. About 18% of their revenue comes from coal. Also, oil by rail has hurt, but that is very much a temporary situation. On the plus side their intermodal business is very good. You could step in now and in time you will do well, but he would like to see a drop another 5%-7%, which would be a great entry point.