The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Holdings Trimmed by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company cut its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 270,772 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,950 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Western Union were worth $2,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 608,454 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $7,257,000 after purchasing an additional 51,327 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 8.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,103,296 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $13,061,000 after acquiring an additional 81,343 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,698,559 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $20,264,000 after acquiring an additional 283,479 shares in the last quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Western Union by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 59,388 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $630,000 after purchasing an additional 5,629 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in Western Union during the 4th quarter valued at $476,000. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Western Union Stock Performance

WU opened at $9.76 on Friday. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $9.00 and a 12-month high of $13.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $10.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.01. Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. The business had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WU has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $10.50 price target (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Western Union from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $7.50 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.78.

Western Union 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.