First Trust Advisors LP Raises Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company $WU

First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 19.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,966,409 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 645,451 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 1.27% of Western Union worth $34,627,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Western Union by 15.5% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 39,859 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $422,000 after acquiring an additional 5,351 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 27.4% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,964,972 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $20,789,000 after acquiring an additional 422,715 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,861,908 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $19,699,000 after purchasing an additional 154,110 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 93.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 27,535 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 13,302 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Western Union by 24.7% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 36,874 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 7,314 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of WU stock opened at $8.15 on Tuesday. The Western Union Company has a fifty-two week low of $6.91 and a fifty-two week high of $10.35. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $7.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.15). Western Union had a return on equity of 55.94% and a net margin of 10.88%.The business had revenue of $963.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. Western Union's quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.5%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.12%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total value of $183,898.52. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,166,179.47. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WU has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Barclays began coverage on Western Union in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $7.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings cut Western Union from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective on Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Western Union from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $8.35.

About Western Union

Western Union Company NYSE: WU is a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments. The company enables individuals and businesses to send and receive money through a variety of channels, including its vast agent network, online platforms, and mobile applications. Core services include person-to-person money transfers, business-to-business cross-border payments, bill payment services and prepaid card programs.

Through its digital offerings, Western Union provides customers with the ability to initiate transfers via its website and mobile app, as well as track transactions in real time.

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