The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Shares Bought by Brevan Howard Capital Management LP

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 119.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 199,082 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 108,388 shares during the quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP owned about 0.06% of Western Union worth $2,110,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Western Union by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,298 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 982 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Western Union by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 50,387 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $534,000 after purchasing an additional 1,072 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 1.4% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 88,410 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,055,000 after buying an additional 1,230 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 61,606 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $653,000 after buying an additional 1,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in shares of Western Union by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 45,825 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 1,565 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $9.76. The stock had a trading volume of 5,313,526 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,925,275. The Western Union Company has a fifty-two week low of $9.00 and a fifty-two week high of $13.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $10.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.58, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WU has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $10.50 price target (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.