Voloridge Investment Management LLC Has $26.07 Million Position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Voloridge Investment Management LLC raised its stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 151.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,459,038 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,479,751 shares during the quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC owned 0.73% of Western Union worth $26,066,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Western Union by 9.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 608,454 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $7,257,000 after purchasing an additional 51,327 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 4th quarter valued at about $126,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Western Union by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 61,606 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $653,000 after buying an additional 1,560 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Western Union by 45.5% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 6,371 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 1,993 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $9.68 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.20. The stock's 50-day moving average is $10.03 and its 200-day moving average is $10.46. The company has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.54, a P/E/G 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.

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. The firm had revenue of $983.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 96.90% and a net margin of 22.19%. The company's revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business 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 9.72%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Western Union's payout ratio is currently 35.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WU has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered 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 research report on Thursday, April 24th. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Western Union from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $7.50 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price objective on 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 seven have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.

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