LSV Asset Management Trims Stock Position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

LSV Asset Management decreased its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,238,573 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 253,900 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management owned 3.03% of Western Union worth $108,529,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 38,328 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $457,000 after buying an additional 4,552 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 0.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,926,192 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $154,209,000 after buying an additional 52,081 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 9.0% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 88,083 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,051,000 after purchasing an additional 7,270 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 3rd quarter worth $734,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC boosted its holdings in Western Union by 17.0% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 29,204 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $348,000 after buying an additional 4,247 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $9.93. The stock had a trading volume of 1,215,151 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,639,375. 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 firm has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.64, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.69. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $9.00 and a 52 week high of $13.93. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $10.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.76.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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, equities research analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.47%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WU has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased 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. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.