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

Union Pacific (UNP) reported $6.06 billion in revenue for the quarter ended March 2023, representing a year-over-year increase of 3.3%. EPS of $2.67 for the same period compares to $2.57 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.07 billion, representing a surprise of -0.27%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +3.89%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $2.57.

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.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

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: 62.1% compared to the 60.97% average estimate based on five analysts.

• Revenue Ton-Miles: 103826 million versus 108019.8 million estimated by three analysts on average.

• Revenue Carloads - Total: 1977 thousand versus the three-analyst average estimate of 2003.57 thousand.

• Revenue Carloads - Industrial Products: 536 thousand compared to the 531.26 thousand average estimate based on three analysts.

• Average revenue per car: $2,861 compared to the $2,839.71 average estimate based on three analysts.

• Average revenue per car - Industrial Products: $3,760 versus $3,728.36 estimated by three analysts on average.

• Revenue Carloads - Premium: 934 thousand versus 949.37 thousand estimated by three analysts on average.

• Freight Revenues- Premium: $1.98 billion versus the four-analyst average estimate of $1.79 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +17.2%.

• Freight Revenues- Bulk: $1.90 billion versus $1.93 billion estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +3.6% change.

• Operating Revenues- Other revenues: $400 million compared to the $410.50 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of -4.8% year over year.

• Freight Revenues- Industrial Products: $2.02 billion compared to the $1.99 billion average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +5% year over year.

• Operating Revenues- Freight revenues: $5.66 billion compared to the $5.72 billion average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +4% year over year.

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

Shares of Union Pacific have returned +8.8% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +6.2% 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.

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