KBC Group NV Purchases 5,143 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

KBC Group NV grew its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 61.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,575 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,143 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Western Union were worth $144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WU. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Western Union in the third quarter worth about $11,726,000. Foundry Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Western Union in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $8,124,000. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $6,190,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Western Union during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,663,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 20.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,698,559 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $20,264,000 after buying an additional 283,479 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Up 1.8 %

WU stock opened at $11.21 on Friday. The Western Union Company has a one year low of $10.04 and a one year high of $14.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $10.61 and its 200 day moving average is $11.27. The firm has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a PE ratio of 5.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a net margin of 16.07% and a return on equity of 120.39%. On average, research analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Western Union announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Friday, December 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to reacquire up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Western Union’s payout ratio is 48.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WU has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group cut their price objective on Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com raised Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $12.20.

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.