The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Stock Holdings Lifted by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,138,828 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 35,532 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.34% of Western Union worth $12,072,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new stake in Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 1,734.7% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 4,597 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in Western Union in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC raised its stake in Western Union by 329.4% during the 4th quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 5,153 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 3,953 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna cut their price objective 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. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $14.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.11.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WU traded up $0.13 during trading on Monday, hitting $9.85. The company had a trading volume of 498,179 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,623,447. The company has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.61, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.69. 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 business's 50-day moving average is $10.54 and its 200 day moving average is $10.78. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $9.00 and a 52 week high of $13.93.

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

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.54%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

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.