Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Acquires 549,931 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,489,079 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 549,931 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 3.70% of Western Union worth $132,384,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of Western Union during the third quarter worth about $25,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Western Union during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new position in Western Union during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 1,734.7% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 4,597 shares during the period. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WU traded down $0.64 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $10.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,447,514 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,700,735. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.02, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $10.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.08. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $10.04 and a 12-month high of $14.18.

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

Western Union Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.56%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is 34.43%.

Western Union announced that its Board of Directors has initiated 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 buy up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

About Western Union

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.