Gotham Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Gotham Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 16.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 600,208 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 84,470 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC owned about 0.18% of Western Union worth $6,362,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in Western Union by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,298 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $236,000 after buying an additional 982 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Western Union by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 50,387 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $534,000 after purchasing an additional 1,072 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Western Union by 11.7% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 14,233 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $151,000 after purchasing an additional 1,493 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Western Union by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 61,606 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $653,000 after purchasing an additional 1,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in shares of Western Union by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 45,825 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 1,565 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WU traded up $0.15 during trading on Friday, hitting $9.93. 6,337,174 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,011,145. The company has a market cap of $3.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.64, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72. The Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $9.00 and a 1 year high of $13.22. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $10.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $983.60 million for 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 business's revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. On average, sell-side 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.47%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $10.50 target price (down previously from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Susquehanna cut their target price on Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.