ClearAlpha Technologies LP Lowers Stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

ClearAlpha Technologies LP lessened its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,864 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 4,330 shares during the quarter. ClearAlpha Technologies LP’s holdings in Western Union were worth $297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in Western Union during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 52.9% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 895 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 89.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,522 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Western Union by 31.1% in the 2nd quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,316 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 1,024 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Western Union during the third quarter valued at approximately $60,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, 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 research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.86.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU opened at $11.08 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $11.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.91. The stock has a market cap of $3.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.86. The Western Union Company has a one year low of $10.51 and a one year high of $14.19.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm 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 company posted $0.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

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.