Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 259,721 Shares of The Western Union Company $WU

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 56.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 200,259 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 259,721 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.06% of Western Union worth $1,600,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WU. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in Western Union by 649.4% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,462 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Western Union by 667.0% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,602 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 4,002 shares in the last quarter. Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 2nd quarter valued at $45,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. Finally, LB Partners LLC purchased a new position in Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth $80,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on WU. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $8.50 to $9.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Citigroup raised shares of Western Union to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Western Union to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.82.

Western Union Stock Performance

WU opened at $9.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $7.85 and a 12-month high of $11.94. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $9.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a PE ratio of 4.28, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.52.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.6%. Western Union’s payout ratio is currently 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.