Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co Makes New $275,000 Investment in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new stake in shares of 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 and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 25,960 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $275,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in Western Union in the third quarter worth about $25,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Western Union during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new stake in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in Western Union by 1,734.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 4,597 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Western Union in the 4th quarter worth $53,000. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Trading Down 5.0 %

NYSE WU traded down $0.53 on Friday, hitting $9.97. 2,465,334 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,444,535. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The Western Union Company has a 52-week low of $9.93 and a 52-week high of $13.93. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $10.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.20.

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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 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%. Research analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Friday, December 13th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to repurchase up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership 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 $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.43%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WU shares. Barclays lowered their target price on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. 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 research note on Monday, December 9th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Susquehanna dropped their price target 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Western Union currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.11.

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.