Mengis Capital Management Inc. Raises Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Mengis Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 50.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,995 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,020 shares during the quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,081,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bayban acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $195,000. Pure Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,365 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $778,000 after buying an additional 356 shares in the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its position in Union Pacific by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 6,637 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,535,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $95,000. Finally, EJMK Ventures LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $226,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 114,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value of $7,442,691.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,605,079.52. The trade was a 30.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $300.00 price target (up from $260.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price objective on Union Pacific and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.21.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $257.46 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The company has a market capitalization of $152.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $263.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $249.80. Union Pacific Corporation has a twelve month low of $210.84 and a twelve month high of $279.70.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.70 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.47%.

About Union Pacific

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific’s core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two?thirds of the United States.