Quantbot Technologies LP Trims Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Quantbot Technologies LP decreased its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 21.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 241,052 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 66,022 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP owned 0.07% of Western Union worth $2,555,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 41.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,305,933 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $66,843,000 after buying an additional 1,857,012 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union in the 3rd quarter worth $11,726,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Western Union by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,489,079 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $132,384,000 after acquiring an additional 549,931 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Western Union by 20.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,698,559 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $20,264,000 after purchasing an additional 283,479 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Western Union by 603.2% in the fourth quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 314,892 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 270,111 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Western Union Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of WU stock traded down $0.08 on Tuesday, hitting $10.42. 3,523,709 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,277,679. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.20. The Western Union Company has a twelve month low of $10.04 and a twelve month high of $14.00. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $10.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a PE ratio of 3.82, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.03%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WU shares. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays lowered their price target on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 13th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered 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, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.11.

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.