Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 39,982 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 72.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 95,460 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 39,982 shares during the period. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Western Union were worth $1,007,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WU. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Western Union by 782.7% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 10,010 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 8,876 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in Western Union by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 195,271 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,070,000 after acquiring an additional 29,281 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Western Union by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 32,761 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $341,000 after acquiring an additional 4,752 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in Western Union by 3.5% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new stake in Western Union during the fourth quarter worth about $207,000. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Price Performance

Western Union stock traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $8.45. 5,675,686 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,408,312. The company has a market cap of $2.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.15, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $9.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.17. 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 12-month low of $8.37 and a 12-month high of $13.12.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 22.08% and a return on equity of 77.19%. The business had revenue of $983.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.45 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.12%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on WU shares. 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 for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $10.50 target price (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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. Finally, Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Western Union in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus 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.