Captrust Financial Advisors Sells 1,047 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Captrust Financial Advisors reduced its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,316 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,047 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors’ holdings in Western Union were worth $254,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Clifford Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Western Union by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Clifford Capital Partners LLC now owns 60,974 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $727,000 after purchasing an additional 2,845 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP raised its position in Western Union by 31.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 373,410 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,455,000 after purchasing an additional 88,498 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new position in Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth $178,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth $3,663,000. Finally, Qsemble Capital Management LP bought a new position in Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth $196,000. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU opened at $10.76 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $3.63 billion, a PE ratio of 5.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The Western Union Company has a one year low of $10.51 and a one year high of $14.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $11.10 and a 200-day moving average of $11.79.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.02. Western Union had a return on equity of 120.39% and a net margin of 16.07%. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.74%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.21%.

Western Union declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Friday, December 13th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to reacquire up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays decreased their price target on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.63.

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.