Voloridge Investment Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 151.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,459,038 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,479,751 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.73% of Western Union worth $26,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WU. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Western Union by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,055,661 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $403,390,000 after acquiring an additional 317,711 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Western Union by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 28,983,265 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $307,224,000 after purchasing an additional 4,426,126 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Western Union by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,489,079 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $132,384,000 after purchasing an additional 549,931 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Western Union by 39.0% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,206,431 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $118,788,000 after purchasing an additional 3,146,395 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group raised its holdings in Western Union by 32.1% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 9,021,308 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $95,626,000 after buying an additional 2,194,403 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU traded up $0.09 on Tuesday, reaching $9.49. 1,608,624 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,084,820. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $9.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.43. The stock has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a PE ratio of 3.48, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72. The Western Union Company has a 52-week low of $9.00 and a 52-week high of $13.12. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 96.90% and a net margin of 22.19%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.45 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.91%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $10.50 price target (down previously from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $10.78.

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.