The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Stake Lowered by AE Wealth Management LLC

AE Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,468 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 996 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $165,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Western Union during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Western Union in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Western Union during the 1st quarter worth $37,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Western Union by 59.9% during the first quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,292 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,233 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the first quarter valued at about $103,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Western Union stock opened at $12.16 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.86. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $11.96 and its 200-day moving average is $12.64.

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

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

About Western Union

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.