PGGM Investments Purchases 21,269 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

PGGM Investments raised its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 21.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 121,944 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,269 shares during the period. PGGM Investments’ holdings in Western Union were worth $1,490,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WU shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Western Union from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com raised Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a 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 report on Thursday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 target price on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.43.

Western Union Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE:WU traded down $0.10 on Wednesday, hitting $11.55. 2,461,097 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,075,826. The company has a market cap of $3.90 billion, a PE ratio of 6.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $12.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.88. The Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $10.92 and a 1 year high of $14.19.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.01). The business 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.14%. Western Union’s dividend 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.