PGGM Investments Boosts Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

PGGM Investments grew its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 21.1% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 121,944 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 21,269 shares during the quarter. PGGM Investments’ holdings in Western Union were worth $1,490,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the first quarter worth $30,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,927 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Western Union in the first quarter worth $32,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union during the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union during the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE WU traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $11.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,461,097 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,075,826. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $10.92 and a 1 year high of $14.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.85. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $12.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.88.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted 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 net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 123.71%. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.14%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on WU. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Western Union from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.43.

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.