Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Lowers Position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 0.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 417,815 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,481 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.12% of Western Union worth $4,985,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 52.2% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,433 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $184,000 after acquiring an additional 5,292 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP bought a new position in shares of Western Union during the third quarter valued at approximately $132,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Western Union during the third quarter valued at approximately $120,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 13,177 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 185.3% in the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 36,295 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $433,000 after buying an additional 23,574 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WU opened at $11.06 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $11.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.03. The Western Union Company has a 52-week low of $10.51 and a 52-week high of $14.19. The company has a market cap of $3.74 billion, a PE ratio of 5.67, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 16.07% and a return on equity of 120.39%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.86.

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.