Oak Thistle LLC Increases Stock Position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Oak Thistle LLC lifted its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 175.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 123,594 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 78,676 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC's holdings in Western Union were worth $1,308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WU. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Western Union during the 1st quarter worth $1,018,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC bought a new stake in Western Union in the first quarter valued at about $149,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Western Union by 45.5% in the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 68,622 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $726,000 after acquiring an additional 21,456 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 68,237 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $723,000 after purchasing an additional 6,727 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 188.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,483 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Trading Down 1.8%

NYSE WU traded down $0.16 on Friday, hitting $8.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,484,855 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,456,525. The company's 50-day moving average is $8.84 and its 200 day moving average is $9.81. 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 $7.99 and a 1-year high of $13.11. The firm has a market cap of $2.84 billion, a PE ratio of 3.20, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.65.

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. 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. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.95%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WU has been the topic of several analyst reports. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective 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. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Western Union in a report on Monday, June 2nd. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $9.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased 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 report on Thursday, April 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.33.

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.