Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Boosts Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 12.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 275,280 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 30,801 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. owned about 0.08% of Western Union worth $2,885,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WU. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Western Union by 171.5% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 17,777 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $188,000 after buying an additional 11,229 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the 4th quarter worth approximately $192,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,489,079 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $132,384,000 after purchasing an additional 549,931 shares during the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the 4th quarter worth approximately $186,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the 4th quarter worth approximately $705,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Western Union Trading Down 1.3%

WU traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $8.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,714,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,575,042. The Western Union Company has a fifty-two week low of $8.29 and a fifty-two week high of $13.12. The stock has a market cap of $2.85 billion, a PE ratio of 3.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.65. The business's 50-day moving average is $9.25 and its 200-day moving average is $10.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released 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. Western Union had a return on equity of 77.19% and a net margin of 22.08%. The firm had revenue of $983.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm 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 research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.90%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Western Union from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $7.50 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Four 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 stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.78.

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.