The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Shares Sold by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 131,813 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 3,078 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $1,397,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Western Union by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 50,387 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $534,000 after buying an additional 1,072 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in Western Union by 0.5% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 238,876 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,849,000 after buying an additional 1,205 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in Western Union by 1.4% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 88,410 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,055,000 after buying an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its position in Western Union by 12.9% during the third quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 13,177 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 1,508 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in Western Union by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 61,606 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $653,000 after buying an additional 1,560 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of WU stock opened at $10.25 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $10.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.21. The Western Union Company has a 12 month low of $10.04 and a 12 month high of $14.19. The company has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a PE ratio of 3.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.17%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.43%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of 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 decreased their price target on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued 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 nine have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently 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.