The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Shares Sold by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 448,760 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 47,194 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC owned 0.13% of Western Union worth $4,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WU. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new stake in Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 1,734.7% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 4,597 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 329.4% in the 4th quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 5,153 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 3,953 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $10.63 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $10.64 and a 200-day moving average of $10.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The firm has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The Western Union Company has a twelve month low of $10.04 and a twelve month high of $13.93.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a return on equity of 96.90% and a net margin of 22.19%. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union declared that its Board of Directors has initiated 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 buy up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WU has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target 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. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.11.

Western Union Company 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.