O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Sells 47,194 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 448,760 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 47,194 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC owned 0.13% of Western Union worth $4,757,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WU. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 32.1% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 9,021,308 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $95,626,000 after buying an additional 2,194,403 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Western Union during the fourth quarter worth about $22,984,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter worth about $22,848,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Western Union by 41.7% in 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 period. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $11,726,000. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Union Price Performance

NYSE:WU traded down $0.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $10.13. The stock had a trading volume of 11,706,099 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,483,694. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $10.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.91. 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 Western Union Company has a one year low of $9.93 and a one year high of $13.93.

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Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last announced 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 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. As a group, analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Friday, December 13th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to reacquire 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.28%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on WU. Barclays dropped their target price on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.11.

About Western Union

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.