Teacher Retirement System of Texas Increases Stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 29.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 361,066 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 81,406 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned approximately 0.11% of Western Union worth $3,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in Western Union during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new stake in Western Union during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in Western Union by 1,734.7% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 4,597 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Union Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE WU traded down $0.06 on Tuesday, hitting $10.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,838,276 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,285,107. 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 52-week low of $10.04 and a 52-week high of $14.00. The firm has a market cap of $3.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.82, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $10.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.98.

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

Western Union declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Friday, December 13th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to buy up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.01%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Western Union's payout ratio is presently 34.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WU. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered 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 note on Monday, December 9th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Western Union has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.11.

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.