The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Stock Position Lifted by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 304.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 791,280 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 595,681 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.23% of Western Union worth $8,387,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WU. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Western Union during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Huntington National Bank grew 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 valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 3,234 shares during the period. 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 worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 2,790 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in 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 valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 4,597 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $9.84. The stock had a trading volume of 4,463,933 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,025,965. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.60, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72. 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 Western Union Company has a fifty-two week low of $9.00 and a fifty-two week high of $13.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $10.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.48.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. The business had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.45 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.55%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on WU. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $10.50 price objective (down previously from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note 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 report 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 for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company 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.