Yahoo Finance

Union Pacific (UNP) reported $6.12 billion in revenue for the quarter ended December 2024, representing a year-over-year decline of 0.6%. EPS of $2.91 for the same period compares to $2.71 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.15 billion, representing a surprise of -0.43%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +4.68%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $2.78.

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: 58.7% versus the six-analyst average estimate of 60.3%.

• Revenue Carloads - Bulk: 500 thousand versus the four-analyst average estimate of 491.64 thousand.

• Average revenue per car - Industrial Products: $3,771 versus the four-analyst average estimate of $3,793.21.

• Average revenue per car - Bulk: $3,723 compared to the $3,705.11 average estimate based on four analysts.

• Freight Revenues- Bulk: $1.86 billion compared to the $1.84 billion average estimate based on five analysts. The reported number represents a change of -3.8% year over year.

• Operating Revenues- Other revenues: $332 million versus the five-analyst average estimate of $352.39 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -7.3%.

• Freight Revenues- Industrial Products: $2.09 billion versus the five-analyst average estimate of $2.12 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +0.7%.

• Freight Revenues- Premium: $1.83 billion versus the five-analyst average estimate of $1.85 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +2.7%.

• Operating Revenues- Freight revenues: $5.79 billion compared to the $5.80 billion average estimate based on five analysts. The reported number represents a change of -0.2% year over year.

• Freight Revenues- Forest products: $324 million compared to the $318.71 million average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of -3.3% year over year.

• Freight Revenues- Energy & specialized markets: $679 million versus $708.71 million estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +2.1% change.

• Freight Revenues- Intermodal: $1.25 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $1.21 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +5.7%.