The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Shares Sold by Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC reduced its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 916,756 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 28,552 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $10,928,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 16.2% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 30,665 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $575,000 after buying an additional 4,265 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 137.8% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 117,142 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,195,000 after buying an additional 67,876 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 14.8% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 58,715 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,100,000 after buying an additional 7,576 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 18.2% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,410,073 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $45,173,000 after buying an additional 370,987 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 3.2% in the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 72,887 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,403,000 after buying an additional 2,286 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Western Union

In related news, Director Timothy P. Murphy purchased 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $12.85 per share, for a total transaction of $128,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 56,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $722,234.25. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE:WU opened at $12.70 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.23. The business’s 50 day moving average is $13.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.61. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $10.37 and a 52 week high of $14.19. The company has a market cap of $4.32 billion, a PE ratio of 7.56, a P/E/G ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37. Western Union had a return on equity of 113.63% and a net margin of 14.37%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.32 EPS. Western Union’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.68 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.40%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Western Union’s payout ratio is 55.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WU shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Western Union from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Barclays increased their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt began coverage on Western Union in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.25.

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.