WINTON GROUP Ltd Makes New Investment in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 556,111 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,895,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned 0.16% of Western Union as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of WU. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Western Union during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its position 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 valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 4,597 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Stock Up 0.6 %

WU stock traded up $0.07 during trading on Monday, hitting $10.55. 1,237,905 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,672,482. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $10.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.94. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.86, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The Western Union Company has a 52-week low of $10.04 and a 52-week high of $13.95.

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Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 96.90% and a net margin of 22.19%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Friday, December 13th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to buy up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Western Union Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Western Union's payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WU shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. Susquehanna cut 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. Barclays decreased their target price on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $12.11.

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.