Seven Eight Capital LP Invests $2.29 Million in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Seven Eight Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 187,231 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,288,000. Seven Eight Capital LP owned approximately 0.06% of Western Union as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of WU. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Western Union during the first quarter valued at $30,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union in the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in Western Union during the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Western Union by 59.9% in the 1st quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,292 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 1,233 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of WU stock opened at $11.89 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $12.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98. The Western Union Company has a 12 month low of $10.92 and a 12 month high of $14.19. The company has a market cap of $4.02 billion, a PE ratio of 7.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.86.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.01). Western Union had a return on equity of 123.71% and a net margin of 13.64%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WU has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.14.

Western Union Company Profile

The Western Union Company provides money movement and payment services worldwide. The company operates through Consumer Money Transfer and Consumer Services segments. The Consumer Money Transfer segment facilitates money transfers for international cross-border and intra-country transfers, primarily through a network of retail agent locations, as well as through websites and mobile devices.