Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Raises Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 26.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 583,785 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 122,752 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC owned about 0.17% of Western Union worth $6,188,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of Western Union stock traded up $0.11 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $9.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,450,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,617,901. 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 Western Union Company has a one year low of $9.00 and a one year high of $13.93. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $10.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.81. The stock has a market cap of $3.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.69.

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 (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 predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

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

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.80%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Western Union's payout ratio is 34.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WU shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.