KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Invests $1.59 Million in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 149,600 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,586,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Western Union by 0.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,926,192 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $154,209,000 after purchasing an additional 52,081 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,489,079 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $132,384,000 after acquiring an additional 549,931 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,179,698 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $85,671,000 after acquiring an additional 25,458 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 41.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,305,933 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $66,843,000 after acquiring an additional 1,857,012 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Western Union by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,698,559 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $20,264,000 after purchasing an additional 283,479 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on WU shares. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.11.

Western Union Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Western Union stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $10.63. 6,037,755 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,431,289. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The Western Union Company has a 52-week low of $10.04 and a 52-week high of $13.93. The company has a fifty day moving average of $10.64 and a 200-day moving average of $10.92.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a return on equity of 96.90% and a net margin of 22.19%. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.43%.

Western Union announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Friday, December 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to purchase up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Western Union Company Profile

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.