The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Stock Holdings Lessened by Millennium Management LLC

Millennium Management LLC lowered its stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 77.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,503,584 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 5,142,046 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC owned approximately 0.45% of Western Union worth $15,938,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its stake in Western Union by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 68,237 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $723,000 after purchasing an additional 6,727 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Western Union by 50.6% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 122,956 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 41,317 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Western Union during the 4th quarter valued at $705,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Western Union by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 480,543 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,094,000 after purchasing an additional 76,900 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in Western Union by 145.1% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 72,795 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 43,095 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on WU shares. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note 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 on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Western Union from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $7.50 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.78.

Western Union Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $9.68 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a PE ratio of 3.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72. The Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $9.00 and a 1 year high of $13.12. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $10.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.01 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. Western Union's revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.45 earnings per share. Analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.07%.

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.

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