FIL Ltd Grows Stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

FIL Ltd increased its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 101.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 61,663 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 31,065 shares during the period. FIL Ltd's holdings in Western Union were worth $654,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Western Union Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of WU traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $9.81. The stock had a trading volume of 4,725,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,669,483. The company has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The Western Union Company has a 12 month low of $9.00 and a 12 month high of $13.93.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. Equities research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.59%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WU. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Union has an average 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.