Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Buys 39,382 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 47.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 122,813 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 39,382 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Western Union were worth $1,299,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its position in Western Union by 1,487.6% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 3,080 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Western Union by 80.2% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,264 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,453 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its position in Western Union by 662.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 3,234 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Western Union by 188.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 2,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Western Union by 267.5% in the 4th quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 3,833 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 2,790 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WU has been the subject of several research reports. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Western Union in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Susquehanna decreased 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. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price 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. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $10.50 target price (down previously from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.78.

Western Union Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of Western Union stock traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $8.62. The company had a trading volume of 4,714,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,571,298. The company has a 50 day moving average of $9.25 and a 200 day moving average of $10.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.15. The Western Union Company has a 52-week low of $8.29 and a 52-week high of $13.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.65.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. Western Union had a return on equity of 77.19% and a net margin of 22.08%. The business had revenue of $983.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.45 EPS. The company's revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.90%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.07%.

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.