51,200 Shares in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Purchased by BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 51,200 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $626,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Dakota Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 1.8% in the second quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 56,066 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $685,000 after acquiring an additional 979 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Western Union by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 44,100 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $526,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 32,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Western Union by 59.9% during the 1st quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,292 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 11,751 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $164,000 after buying an additional 1,465 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of WU stock traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $12.22. 3,593,649 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,021,651. The business has a 50 day moving average of $12.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $10.92 and a 52 week high of $14.19. The company has a market capitalization of $4.13 billion, a PE ratio of 7.23, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.01). Western Union had a return on equity of 123.71% and a net margin of 13.64%. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 55.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on WU. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $13.14.

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.