The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Holdings Boosted by DGS Capital Management LLC

DGS Capital Management LLC increased its stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,044 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,727 shares during the period. DGS Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the third quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Western Union by 52.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 895 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Western Union by 89.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,522 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Western Union by 31.1% during the 2nd quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,316 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 1,024 shares during the period. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth about $60,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE WU opened at $10.76 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. The company has a market cap of $3.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.86. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $10.51 and a 12-month high of $14.19. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.80.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.02. Western Union had a return on equity of 120.39% and a net margin of 16.07%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 23rd will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.74%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.21%.

Western Union declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback 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 purchase up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WU. Barclays decreased their price target on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. 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 research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.63.

About Western Union

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.