The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Shares Acquired by EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 2,188.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,678 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,818 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $209,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WU. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Western Union by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,305,933 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $66,843,000 after purchasing an additional 1,857,012 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Western Union during the third quarter worth $11,726,000. Foundry Partners LLC acquired a new position in Western Union during the third quarter worth $8,124,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Western Union by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,489,079 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $132,384,000 after acquiring an additional 549,931 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Western Union during the third quarter worth $3,663,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. 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 report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays dropped 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. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased 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 decreased their target price on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.11.

Western Union Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $10.70 on Monday. 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 $14.00. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.04. The company has a market capitalization of $3.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79.

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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Western Union Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.79%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.43%.

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.