Inceptionr LLC Invests $328,000 in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 30,912 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $328,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Western Union by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 50,387 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $534,000 after purchasing an additional 1,072 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in Western Union by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 88,410 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,055,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 13,177 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 1,508 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 61,606 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $653,000 after buying an additional 1,560 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 45,825 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $486,000 after buying an additional 1,565 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

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Western Union Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of WU traded down $0.10 on Thursday, hitting $10.55. 8,121,065 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,753,041. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. 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 Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $10.04 and a 1 year high of $14.00. The stock's 50 day moving average is $10.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.07.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.91%. Western Union's payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

Western Union announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Friday, December 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes 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 board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on WU. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays reduced their price objective 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 restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Susquehanna reduced 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Western Union currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average 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.