denkapparat Operations GmbH Acquires Shares of 19,898 The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

denkapparat Operations GmbH acquired a new position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 19,898 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $211,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in Western Union in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Western Union during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new position in Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in shares of Western Union by 1,734.7% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 4,597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WU. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.11.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WU opened at $10.48 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.84, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. 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 Western Union Company has a 1-year low of $10.04 and a 1-year high of $13.95. The business has a 50-day moving average of $10.63 and a 200-day moving average of $10.95.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.97%. Western Union’s payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

Western Union declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Friday, December 13th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.