Freestone Grove Partners LP Buys Shares of 69,371 The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 69,371 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $735,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WU. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Western Union in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new position in Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Huntington National Bank increased its position in Western Union by 662.7% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 3,234 shares during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 267.5% in the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 3,833 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 2,790 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 1,734.7% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 4,597 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Performance

NYSE WU traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $9.66. 8,537,274 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,886,135. The business's fifty day moving average price is $10.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.57. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $9.00 and a 52 week high of $13.50. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $3.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72.

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, topping 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 analysts' expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.45 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WU has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $10.50 price objective (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target 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. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut shares of Western Union from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $7.50 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.