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

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 12.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 275,280 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 30,801 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. owned 0.08% of Western Union worth $2,885,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in Western Union by 1,487.6% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 3,080 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,886 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Western Union by 80.2% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,264 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,453 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in Western Union by 662.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 3,234 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 188.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 2,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC lifted its stake in Western Union by 267.5% during the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 3,833 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 2,790 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Western Union in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $10.50 target price (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.78.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WU traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $8.62. 4,714,256 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,554,561. The firm has a market cap of $2.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97. The Western Union Company has a 1-year low of $8.29 and a 1-year high of $13.12.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. Western Union had a net margin of 22.08% and a return on equity of 77.19%. The company had revenue of $983.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. The business's revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

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

About Western Union

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.