The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Position Increased by Pinebridge Investments L.P.

Pinebridge Investments L.P. lifted its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 87.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 190,232 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 88,985 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments L.P. owned about 0.06% of Western Union worth $2,016,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Western Union by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,055,661 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $403,390,000 after purchasing an additional 317,711 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Western Union by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 28,983,265 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $307,224,000 after acquiring an additional 4,426,126 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Western Union by 4.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 549,931 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in Western Union by 32.1% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 9,021,308 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $95,626,000 after acquiring an additional 2,194,403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Western Union by 41.7% in the 4th 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

WU opened at $10.14 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $10.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.69. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $9.00 and a 12-month high of $13.60.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.01. Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. The business had revenue of $983.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.27%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on WU shares. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $10.50 price target (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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 decreased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.78.

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.

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