Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Key Points

• Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 51.7%, owning 126,858 shares after selling 136,056 during the first quarter, valued at approximately $29.97 million.
• Union Pacific recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, representing a yield of 2.47% and an increase from the previous quarterly dividend of $1.34.
• Analyst ratings for Union Pacific indicate a consensus of 16 buy ratings and 1 sell rating, with an average price target of $259.46.

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 51.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 126,858 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 136,056 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $29,969,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 7,152.9% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 5,077 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,158,000 after purchasing an additional 5,007 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 223.2% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 17,154 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,912,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 449,437 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $102,490,000 after purchasing an additional 29,928 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $625,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Argus upgraded shares of Union Pacific to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Barclays downgraded shares of Union Pacific from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $258.21.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.2%

UNP stock traded down $2.66 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $219.31. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,637,305 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,972,172. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $130.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.05, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $227.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $230.93.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The company had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.74 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This is an increase from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.57%.

Union Pacific Company Profile

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. The company offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, ethanol producers, renewable biofuel producers, and other agricultural users; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, petroleum, liquid petroleum gases, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers.