Paragon Capital Management LTD Has Lowered Its Western Un Co (WU) Position; Mesa Laboratories (MLAB) Shorts Lowered By 4.5%

November 23, 2017 - By Adrian Mccoy

Paragon Capital Management Ltd decreased Western Un Co (WU) stake by 86.22% reported in 2017Q2 SEC filing. Paragon Capital Management Ltd sold 73,851 shares as Western Un Co (WU)’s stock declined 4.09%. The Paragon Capital Management Ltd holds 11,800 shares with $225,000 value, down from 85,651 last quarter. Western Un Co now has $8.98 billion valuation. The stock decreased 0.79% or $0.16 on November 22, reaching $19.55. About 1.83 million shares traded. The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) has risen 0.64% since November 23, 2016 and is uptrending. It has underperformed by 16.06% the S&P500.

Mesa Laboratories Incorporated (NASDAQ:MLAB) had a decrease of 4.5% in short interest. MLAB’s SI was 261,000 shares in November as released by FINRA. Its down 4.5% from 273,300 shares previously. With 12,500 avg volume, 21 days are for Mesa Laboratories Incorporated (NASDAQ:MLAB)’s short sellers to cover MLAB’s short positions. The SI to Mesa Laboratories Incorporated’s float is 8.74%. The stock decreased 2.31% or $3.12 on November 22, reaching $131.86. About shares traded. Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB) has risen 44.42% since November 23, 2016 and is uptrending. It has outperformed by 27.72% the S&P500.

Among 17 analysts covering The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU), 2 have Buy rating, 8 Sell and 7 Hold. Therefore 12% are positive. The Western Union Company had 31 analyst reports since July 31, 2015 according to SRatingsIntel. On Thursday, January 5 the stock rating was initiated by Guggenheim with “Neutral”. The stock of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) earned “Buy” rating by Zacks on Monday, September 21. Zacks upgraded The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) on Tuesday, August 25 to “Hold” rating. Jefferies maintained the shares of WU in report on Wednesday, October 11 with “Hold” rating. Morgan Stanley maintained the shares of WU in report on Friday, November 3 with “Underweight” rating. The stock has “Sell” rating by Mizuho on Friday, October 13. The firm has “Equal Weight” rating by Barclays Capital given on Friday, July 31. The stock has “Sell” rating by Citigroup on Friday, November 3. The firm has “Sell” rating by Compass Point given on Friday, January 20. Stifel Nicolaus maintained the shares of WU in report on Thursday, November 2 with “Hold” rating.

Investors sentiment decreased to 0.78 in 2017 Q2. Its down 0.09, from 0.87 in 2017Q1. It dropped, as 47 investors sold WU shares while 197 reduced holdings. 52 funds opened positions while 139 raised stakes. 470.19 million shares or 3.15% less from 485.46 million shares in 2017Q1 were reported. Tiedemann Wealth Lc accumulated 0.06% or 39,809 shares. Cambridge Inv Advsrs Inc holds 0.04% of its portfolio in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) for 154,774 shares. 4.78M were accumulated by Geode Mgmt Ltd Liability Co. Moreover, Nomura Holding Inc has 0% invested in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) for 35,620 shares. Fort LP has 276,621 shares for 1.31% of their portfolio. Old West Investment Lc owns 44,347 shares for 0.45% of their portfolio. Mufg Americas stated it has 2,730 shares or 0% of all its holdings. Blackrock Inc has invested 0.03% in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU). Fukoku Mutual Life, a Japan-based fund reported 6,967 shares. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo Limited Liability Company holds 0% or 11,500 shares in its portfolio. State Teachers Retirement System holds 863,693 shares or 0.04% of its portfolio. Moreover, Bedrijfstakpensioenfonds Voor De Media Pno has 0.12% invested in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU). Abrams Management Limited Partnership accumulated 16.36% or 21.61 million shares. Guardian Life Insurance Com Of America reported 1,067 shares. Credit Agricole S A accumulated 1.60 million shares.

Paragon Capital Management Ltd increased Vanguard Index Fds (VTV) stake by 36,885 shares to 56,293 valued at $5.44 million in 2017Q2. It also upped Vanguard Tax Managed Intl Fd (VEA) stake by 49,518 shares and now owns 55,668 shares. Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) was raised too.

Analysts await The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) to report earnings on February, 8. They expect $0.44 EPS, down 6.38% or $0.03 from last year’s $0.47 per share. WU’s profit will be $202.11M for 11.11 P/E if the $0.44 EPS becomes a reality. After $0.53 actual EPS reported by The Western Union Company for the previous quarter, Wall Street now forecasts -16.98% negative EPS growth.

Mesa Laboratories, Inc. is focused primarily on quality control services and products. The company has market cap of $486.88 million. The Firm operates through four divisions: Instruments, Continuous Monitoring, Biological Indicators and Cold Chain. It has a 47.66 P/E ratio. The Instruments Division designs, makes and markets quality control instruments and disposable products.