Amundi Purchases 219,798 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Amundi increased its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 190.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 334,911 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 219,798 shares during the period. Amundi owned approximately 0.10% of Western Union worth $3,496,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Western Union by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 50,387 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $534,000 after purchasing an additional 1,072 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in Western Union by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 88,410 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,055,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in Western Union by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 61,606 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $653,000 after acquiring an additional 1,560 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in Western Union by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 45,825 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $486,000 after acquiring an additional 1,565 shares during the period. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Western Union by 6.8% in the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 27,044 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $323,000 after purchasing an additional 1,727 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WU traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $10.75. 6,150,177 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,244,817. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.63 billion, a PE ratio of 3.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $10.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.02. The Western Union Company has a 12 month low of $10.04 and a 12 month high of $14.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.20.

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

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.75%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

Western Union announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Friday, December 13th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to buy up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's board 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.