Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. trimmed its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 132,281 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,072 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $29,931,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Union Pacific by 211.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the second quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a report on Monday, June 17th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $249.12 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $243.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $239.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $151.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.77, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $199.33 and a 52-week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.57 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 51.15%.

About Union Pacific

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.