Schroder Investment Management Group Purchases 2,194,403 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 32.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,021,308 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 2,194,403 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group owned 2.67% of Western Union worth $95,626,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 worth $20,264,000 after buying an additional 283,479 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 19.0% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 523,676 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $6,247,000 after purchasing an additional 83,715 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $734,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Western Union by 50.6% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 122,956 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 41,317 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Western Union by 828.1% during the fourth quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 93,959 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $996,000 after purchasing an additional 83,835 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays lowered their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $14.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday. 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 note on Monday, December 9th. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $12.11.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of WU traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $10.56. 4,663,338 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,432,840. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $10.04 and a 1 year high of $13.93. The company has a market cap of $3.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $10.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.92.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Western Union's payout ratio is 34.43%.

Western Union declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Friday, December 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to purchase up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its shares are 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.