After Union Pacific upwardly revised its margin expectation for 2018 following the close yesterday, Stephens analyst Justin Long called the pre-announcement "another encouraging development" after Monday's news of the hiring of PSR veteran Jim Vena as its new COO. Long reiterated the stock as his best idea for 2019 and keeps an Overweight rating and $170 price target on the shares.

Deutsche Bank placed a "Catalyst Call: Buy" on shares of Union Pacific (UNP) as a short-term investment idea. With all the attention Norfolk Southern (NSC) is getting in recent months, it is easy to overlook developments at other railroads, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm says Union Pacific is now the worst performing pail stock year-to-date. However, operating metrics "clearly show that UNP's renewed efforts on operations are gaining traction," contends Deutsche Bank. It keeps a Buy rating on the shares with a $266 price target.