The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Shares Purchased by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,698,559 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 283,479 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.50% of Western Union worth $20,264,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WU. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union during the third quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 52.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 895 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 89.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,522 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Western Union by 31.1% in the 2nd quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,316 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp purchased a new position in Western Union during the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Western Union Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of WU traded down $0.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $10.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,815,976 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,375,344. The company has a market cap of $3.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. The company has a fifty day moving average of $10.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.52. The Western Union Company has a twelve month low of $10.21 and a twelve month high of $14.19.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 16.07% and a return on equity of 120.39%. The company's revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Friday, December 13th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to buy up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 23rd. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on WU shares. StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced 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 note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price 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. Two research 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, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.63.

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.