Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Boosts Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 93.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 83,431 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 40,310 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Western Union were worth $884,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 1,734.7% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 4,597 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC bought a new stake in Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $774,000. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in Western Union in the 4th quarter worth approximately $113,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 76,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 8,876 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Trading Down 0.1%

WU stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $9.28. The company had a trading volume of 6,382,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,404,131. The stock has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.40, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.68. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $9.00 and a 52 week high of $13.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $9.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.33.

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

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.13%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on WU shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered 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 report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Western Union in a report on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their target price on Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average 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.