Allianz Asset Management GmbH Has $72.66 Million Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Allianz Asset Management GmbH trimmed its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 14.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,854,239 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,137,479 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Western Union were worth $72,655,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WU. Morningstar Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 4th quarter worth about $163,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,113,000. Ieq Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Western Union by 603.2% in the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 314,892 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 270,111 shares during the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $207,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on WU. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.11.

Western Union Trading Down 1.0 %

Western Union stock opened at $10.63 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $10.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $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 12 month low of $10.04 and a 12 month high of $14.19. The stock has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued 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 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Western Union’s payout ratio is 34.43%.

Western Union declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is 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.