Brickwood Asset Management LLP Invests $31.18 Million in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Brickwood Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,941,229 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $31,177,000. Western Union makes up 24.7% of Brickwood Asset Management LLP's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Brickwood Asset Management LLP owned 0.87% of Western Union as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WU. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of Western Union by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,298 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 982 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Western Union by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 50,387 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $534,000 after buying an additional 1,072 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in Western Union by 11.7% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 14,233 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 1,493 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 61,606 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $653,000 after acquiring an additional 1,560 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,565 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WU has been the topic of several analyst reports. 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 report on Thursday, April 24th. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $10.50 target price (down previously from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.78.

Western Union Trading Down 1.5%

WU traded down $0.15 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $9.33. 2,331,389 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,098,658. The Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $9.00 and a 1 year high of $13.12. The firm has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.20.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.08%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.07%.

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.