Range Financial Group LLC Increases Stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Range Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 52.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 143,369 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 49,410 shares during the period. Range Financial Group LLC's holdings in Western Union were worth $1,517,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its position in Western Union by 1,734.7% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 4,597 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC acquired a new position in Western Union during the fourth quarter worth about $774,000. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in Western Union during the fourth quarter worth about $113,000. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Western Union by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 480,543 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,094,000 after acquiring an additional 76,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Western Union by 782.7% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 10,010 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 8,876 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WU. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Western Union in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reiterated 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. Royal Bank of Canada decreased 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 report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $10.78.

Western Union Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of Western Union stock traded down $0.13 on Thursday, reaching $9.12. The company had a trading volume of 8,875,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,260,519. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $9.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.32. The firm has a market cap of $3.01 billion, a PE ratio of 3.34, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.68. The Western Union Company has a 52-week low of $9.00 and a 52-week high of $13.12. 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 results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $983.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.31%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Western Union's payout ratio is currently 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.