The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Shares Bought by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,768,627 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 102,823 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned about 0.52% of Western Union worth $18,747,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Western Union during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new stake in Western Union in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in Western Union by 1,734.7% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 4,597 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Western Union in the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Western Union by 329.4% during the 4th quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 5,153 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 3,953 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of Western Union stock traded up $0.91 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $10.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,826,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,612,991. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $10.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.82. The Western Union Company has a fifty-two week low of $9.00 and a fifty-two week high of $13.93. The firm has a market cap of $3.35 billion, a PE ratio of 3.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 EPS 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%. On average, analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Friday, December 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to reacquire up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.40%. Western Union's payout ratio is 34.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on WU shares. Barclays decreased their price target on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. 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. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $14.00 target price on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.11.

Western Union 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.