The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Position Increased by Two Sigma Advisers LP

Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 68.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 894,000 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 364,200 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned 0.26% of Western Union worth $9,476,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Western Union by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 68,237 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $723,000 after acquiring an additional 6,727 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its position in Western Union by 50.6% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 122,956 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 41,317 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Western Union in the 4th quarter worth approximately $705,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 19.1% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 480,543 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $5,094,000 after purchasing an additional 76,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Western Union by 145.1% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 72,795 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $786,000 after buying an additional 43,095 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Price Performance

NYSE WU traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $9.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,347,388 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,094,880. The Western Union Company has a fifty-two week low of $9.00 and a fifty-two week high of $13.12. The stock has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a PE ratio of 3.40, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72. The company's 50-day moving average is $9.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.42. 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 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. Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. The firm had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.45 earnings per share. Western Union's revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.15%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on WU shares. Susquehanna decreased 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective 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. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Western Union from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $7.50 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $10.50 target price (down previously from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective 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 seven have given a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.78.

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.