The Western Union Company $WU Position Reduced by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC decreased its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 67.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 168,492 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 352,297 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.05% of Western Union worth $1,478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WU. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 606.7% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 2,803 shares during the last quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new position in Western Union in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its holdings in Western Union by 1,546.5% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 3,326 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 3,124 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Western Union by 67.0% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,331 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 1,336 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Western Union by 179.6% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,341 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 2,146 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU opened at $8.15 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $7.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.79. The company has a market capitalization of $2.55 billion, a PE ratio of 6.00, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.46. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $6.91 and a 52 week high of $10.35. 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) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $963.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In other news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total transaction of $183,898.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 234,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,166,179.47. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.