The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Shares Sold by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. trimmed its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 57.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 795,167 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 1,085,633 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned about 0.24% of Western Union worth $8,429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Western Union in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Perigon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Western Union during the 4th quarter valued at $144,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Western Union by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 50,387 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $534,000 after acquiring an additional 1,072 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Western Union by 61.0% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 13,575 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $144,000 after acquiring an additional 5,143 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 33.6% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 18,533 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 4,657 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WU shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays cut 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. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Union currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.20.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WU traded up $0.63 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $11.01. 15,291,005 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,363,286. The Western Union Company has a one year low of $10.04 and a one year high of $14.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $10.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.64, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.85.

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 net margin of 16.07% and a return on equity of 120.39%. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors 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 8.54%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

Western Union announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Friday, December 13th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.