WBI Investments LLC Sells 8,365 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

WBI Investments LLC decreased its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 16.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,914 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 8,365 shares during the quarter. WBI Investments LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $537,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WU. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Western Union during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Western Union by 500.5% in the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,927 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Western Union in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Western Union in the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on WU shares. StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.14.

Western Union Price Performance

Western Union stock opened at $12.20 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $12.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.81. The Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $10.92 and a 1 year high of $14.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

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

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.70%. Western Union’s payout ratio is currently 55.62%.

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.