Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 50.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 122,956 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 41,317 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC's holdings in Western Union were worth $1,303,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Western Union during the third quarter worth about $25,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake 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 worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 4,597 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Western Union Trading Down 0.5 %
Shares of WU traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $10.81. The company had a trading volume of 3,467,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,758,861. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.15. 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 stock has a market cap of $3.65 billion, a PE ratio of 3.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.85. The Western Union Company has a 1-year low of $10.04 and a 1-year high of $14.19.
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 return on equity of 96.90% and a net margin of 22.19%. Research analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Western Union announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Friday, December 13th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to repurchase up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
Western Union Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.70%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.43%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WU. StockNews.com raised shares of Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Western Union presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.11.
Read Our Latest Research Report on WU
About Western Union
(
Free Report)
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.
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