The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Shares Purchased by Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 34.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,627,846 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 670,480 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.78% of Western Union worth $27,855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Western Union by 9.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 608,454 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $7,257,000 after purchasing an additional 51,327 shares in the last quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Western Union by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 59,388 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 5,629 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at about $476,000. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at about $703,000. Finally, Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at about $922,000. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WU traded down $0.06 during trading on Monday, hitting $9.88. The stock had a trading volume of 6,468,632 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,030,015. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $9.00 and a 12-month high of $13.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.47.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. Western Union had a return on equity of 96.90% and a net margin of 22.19%. The firm had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.45 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $10.50 price target (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Western Union from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $7.50 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.78.

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.