Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Reduces Stock Position in The Western Union Company $WU

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp cut its stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,908,435 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 391,539 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned about 0.60% of Western Union worth $15,248,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WU. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in Western Union by 649.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,462 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 667.0% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,602 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 4,002 shares during the period. Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new position in Western Union during the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new stake in Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Western Union in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $85,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In other Western Union news, insider Giovanni Angelini acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.95 per share, for a total transaction of $89,500.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 186,932 shares in the company, valued at $1,673,041.40. The trade was a 5.65% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WU has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup upgraded Western Union to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded Western Union from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Western Union from $8.50 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $8.82.

Western Union Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of WU stock opened at $9.38 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $9.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.72. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $7.85 and a 12-month high of $11.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. The firm has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.51.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.0%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.05%.

Western Union Profile

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.