Metis Global Partners LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Metis Global Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 8.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,753 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,584 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $319,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Western Union by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 13,177 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,508 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its position in Western Union by 185.3% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 36,295 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $433,000 after buying an additional 23,574 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its holdings in Western Union by 16.7% in the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 165,990 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,980,000 after buying an additional 23,746 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Western Union by 4.7% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 480,146 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,728,000 after acquiring an additional 21,500 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 15,961 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $191,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Union Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of WU stock opened at $10.86 on Tuesday. The Western Union Company has a fifty-two week low of $10.51 and a fifty-two week high of $14.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.57, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.87. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $11.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target 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. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.86.

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.