Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Reduces Position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. cut its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 16.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 47,166 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 8,970 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Western Union were worth $504,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Foundry Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union during the third quarter valued at $8,124,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 293.3% during the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 198,002 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,362,000 after buying an additional 147,658 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 20.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,698,559 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $20,264,000 after buying an additional 283,479 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in Western Union by 19.0% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 523,676 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,247,000 after acquiring an additional 83,715 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC bought a new position in Western Union in the third quarter valued at about $734,000. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group lowered their target price on Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays lowered their target price on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price 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, StockNews.com raised Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Western Union has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.11.

Western Union Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE WU opened at $10.74 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $10.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.20 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 $14.19. The company has a market capitalization of $3.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 EPS 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%. On average, equities research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors 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 yield of 8.76%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.43%.

Western Union announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Friday, December 13th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.