Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Has $6.63 Million Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 46.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 627,019 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 197,487 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ owned 0.19% of Western Union worth $6,628,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,926,192 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $154,209,000 after acquiring an additional 52,081 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Western Union by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,489,079 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $132,384,000 after purchasing an additional 549,931 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Western Union by 0.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,179,698 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $85,671,000 after purchasing an additional 25,458 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Western Union by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,305,933 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $66,843,000 after purchasing an additional 1,857,012 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Western Union by 20.0% in 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on WU shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays cut their price target on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.11.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of Western Union stock traded down $0.04 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $10.73. 5,835,638 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,234,816. The company has a market cap of $3.62 billion, a PE ratio of 3.93, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $10.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.02. The Western Union Company has a twelve month low of $10.04 and a twelve month high of $14.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. Analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.76%. Western Union's payout ratio is presently 34.43%.

Western Union Company 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.