Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Has $1.80 Million Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC decreased its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 26.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 169,583 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 60,013 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned about 0.05% of Western Union worth $1,798,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WU. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Western Union by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 111,721 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,184,000 after purchasing an additional 15,550 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Western Union during the 4th quarter worth approximately $126,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Western Union by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 118,134 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,252,000 after buying an additional 10,306 shares in the last quarter. Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $922,000. Finally, San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the fourth quarter worth $703,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

WU stock traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $11.21. The stock had a trading volume of 11,765,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,630,239. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.79 billion, a PE ratio of 5.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.27. The Western Union Company has a fifty-two week low of $10.04 and a fifty-two week high of $14.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 120.39% and a net margin of 16.07%. Analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.39%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on WU. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group cut their price target on Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.20.

About Western Union

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.