Rockland Trust Co. Has $187,000 Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Rockland Trust Co. trimmed its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 8.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,290 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,412 shares during the period. Rockland Trust Co.’s holdings in Western Union were worth $187,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WU. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Western Union by 500.5% in the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,927 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the first quarter worth about $32,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on WU shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com cut Western Union from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Union has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.14.

Western Union Price Performance

NYSE WU remained flat at $11.73 during trading on Thursday. 1,765,748 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,067,029. The Western Union Company has a 52-week low of $10.92 and a 52-week high of $14.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98. The company has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $12.16 and its 200-day moving average is $12.83.

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

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.62%.

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.