Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 354,139 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Van ECK Associates Corp lessened its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 58.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 252,689 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 354,139 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 0.07% of Western Union worth $3,012,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Western Union by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 56,476 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $744,000 after purchasing an additional 791 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 169,552 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,235,000 after purchasing an additional 842 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in Western Union by 0.5% during the third quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 197,250 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,600,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of Western Union by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 6,793 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 1,278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 106,623 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,405,000 after acquiring an additional 1,455 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on WU. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Western Union from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Monness Crespi & Hardt began coverage on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.61.

Western Union Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $13.31 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.61. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $10.92 and a 12-month high of $14.19. The firm has a market cap of $4.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.38.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 120.76% and a net margin of 14.12%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. Analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Western Union

In other Western Union news, Director Timothy P. Murphy acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $12.85 per share, with a total value of $128,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 56,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $722,234.25. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.