The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Shares Purchased by Federated Hermes Inc.

Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 19.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 536,602 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 86,243 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. owned 0.16% of Western Union worth $5,688,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new position in Western Union in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in Western Union by 662.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 3,234 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased 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 worth $52,000 after buying an additional 4,597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Price Performance

NYSE WU traded up $0.10 during trading on Thursday, hitting $9.85. 887,639 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,646,755. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $9.00 and a 12-month high of $13.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.75. The company has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.69.

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

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Western Union's payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WU. Susquehanna dropped 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.