Natixis Advisors LLC Has $360,000 Stock Position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Natixis Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 49.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,424 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 28,727 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Western Union during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Western Union during the 1st quarter worth $37,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in Western Union during the 1st quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Western Union by 59.9% during the 1st quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,292 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 1,233 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Price Performance

NYSE:WU opened at $11.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $12.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.76. The Western Union Company has a 1-year low of $10.92 and a 1-year high of $14.19. The company has a market capitalization of $4.00 billion, a PE ratio of 7.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.86.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 123.71%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.93%. Western Union’s payout ratio is 55.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on WU. StockNews.com raised Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.14.

About Western Union

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.