Union Pacific (UNP) Reports Q1 Earnings: What Key Metrics Have to Say

For the quarter ended March 2024, Union Pacific (UNP) reported revenue of $6.03 billion, down 0.4% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $2.69, compared to $2.67 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +0.48% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $2.50, the EPS surprise was +7.60%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how Union Pacific performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Operating Ratio: 60.7% versus 62.6% estimated by five analysts on average.

• Revenue Carloads - Bulk: 480 thousand compared to the 494.05 thousand average estimate based on four analysts.

• Average revenue per car - Industrial Products: $3,886 versus $3,760.10 estimated by four analysts on average.

• Average revenue per car - Bulk: $3,787 versus the four-analyst average estimate of $3,770.93.

• Freight Revenues- Premium: $1.70 billion versus $1.73 billion estimated by five analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -2.7% change.

• Operating Revenues- Other revenues: $415 million versus $363.01 million estimated by five analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +3.8% change.

• Operating Revenues- Freight revenues: $5.62 billion versus the five-analyst average estimate of $5.68 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -0.7%.

• Freight Revenues- Industrial Products: $2.10 billion versus $2.07 billion estimated by five analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +4.3% change.

• Freight Revenues- Bulk: $1.82 billion versus the five-analyst average estimate of $1.87 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -4.2%.

• Freight Revenues- Fertilizer: $201 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $196.61 million.

• Freight Revenues- Industrial chemicals & plastics: $572 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $553.93 million.

• Freight Revenues- Food & refrigerated: $285 million compared to the $284.57 million average estimate based on three analysts.

View all Key Company Metrics for Union Pacific here>>>

Shares of Union Pacific have returned -5.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -3% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research