Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC Invests $6.19 Million in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 518,858 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,190,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new position in Western Union during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Western Union in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Western Union by 52.9% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 895 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 89.3% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target 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 Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.14.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of WU stock opened at $11.93 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The Western Union Company has a twelve month low of $10.92 and a twelve month high of $14.19. The company has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.32, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.86.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.88%. Western Union’s payout ratio is currently 57.67%.

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.