Union Pacific Corporation UNP is scheduled to report first-quarter 2026 results on April 23, before market open.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for UNP’s first-quarter 2026 earnings has been revised upward 0.4% over the past 60 days to $2.85 per share. The consensus mark for earnings implies a 5.6% rise from the year-ago actuals. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for UNP’s first-quarter 2026 revenues is pegged at $6.16 billion, indicating 2.2% growth year over year.
United Pacific has a mixed earnings surprise history. The company’s earnings have surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the preceding four quarters and lagged in the remaining quarters, with the average beat being 1.3%.
Union Pacific Corporation Price and EPS Surprise
Union Pacific Corporation price-eps-surprise | Union Pacific Corporation Quote
Let’s see how things have shaped up for Union Pacific this earnings season.
Factors to Note Ahead of UNP’s Q1 Earnings Release
We expect the company’s top-line performance in the to-be-reported quarter to have been boosted by an uptick in demand for services. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for freight revenues (which accounts for the majority portion of total revenues) is pegged at $5.86 billion, which indicates an increase of 3% from first-quarter 2025 actuals.
The consensus mark for other revenues is pegged at $322.56 million, implying a 4% decrease from first-quarter 2025 actuals.
On the contrary, rising operating expenses and geopolitical unrest are expected to have significantly impacted the company’s performance in the to-be-reported quarter. The bottom line is likely to have been weighed down by high fuel costs due to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East and supply-chain disruptions.
What Our Model Says About UNP
Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Union Pacific this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat.
UNP has an Earnings ESP of +0.27% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Highlights of UNP’s Q4 Results
UNP reported disappointing fourth-quarter 2025 results, wherein the company’s earnings and revenues missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate.
Quarterly earnings (excluding 25 cents from non-recurring items) of $2.86 per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.90 and decreased 1.7% on a year-over-year basis.
Operating revenues of $6.08 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.14 billion and fell 1% on a year-over-year basis.
Other Stocks to Consider
Here are a few more stocks from the broader Zacks Transportation sector that investors may consider, as our model shows that these, too, have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this reporting cycle.
Landstar LSTR has an Earnings ESP of +2.43% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present and is scheduled to report first-quarter 2026 results on April 28, after market close.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings has remained unchanged at $1.10 per share over the past 60 days. LSTR has a discouraging earnings surprise history, as its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the preceding four quarters and missed twice in the remaining, delivering an average miss of 0.39%.
Expeditors EXPD has an Earnings ESP of +2.50% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present and is scheduled to report first-quarter 2026 results on May 5.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings has been revised upwards by 1.54% to $1.32 per share over the past 60 days. EXPD has an encouraging earnings surprise history as its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the preceding four quarters, with an average beat of 10.1%.
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Union Pacific Corporation (UNP): Free Stock Analysis Report
Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (EXPD): Free Stock Analysis Report
Landstar System, Inc. (LSTR): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).