Burney Co. Decreases Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Key Points

• Burney Co. reduced its stake in The Western Union Company by 33.1% during the first quarter, leaving it with 68,877 shares valued at $729,000.
• Western Union's most recent earnings report showed a net margin of 22.08%, but revenue decreased by 6.2% year-over-year, falling to $983.60 million compared to estimates of $1.01 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.235, reflecting an annual yield of 10.95% and a payout ratio of 35.07%.

Burney Co. trimmed its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 33.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 68,877 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 34,116 shares during the quarter. Burney Co.'s holdings in Western Union were worth $729,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in Western Union by 1,487.6% during the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 3,080 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 80.2% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,264 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,453 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 464.3% during the 1st quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 3,397 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 2,795 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in Western Union by 662.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 3,234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Western Union by 188.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 2,483 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on WU. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Western Union in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "hold" rating and a $9.00 price target for the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their price target on Western Union from $7.50 to $7.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Oppenheimer began coverage on Western Union in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Western Union presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $9.06.

Western Union Price Performance

Western Union stock traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $8.32. 6,984,021 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,075,620. The company's fifty day moving average is $8.81 and its 200-day moving average is $9.79. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $7.99 and a 52 week high of $13.11. The firm has a market cap of $2.75 billion, a PE ratio of 3.10, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.02). Western Union had a return on equity of 77.19% and a net margin of 22.08%. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.44 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.30%. Western Union's payout ratio is 35.07%.

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.