Mackenzie Financial Corp Has $3.13 Million Stock Position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 115.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 262,827 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 140,827 shares during the quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp owned about 0.07% of Western Union worth $3,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WU. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 134.8% during the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,956 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Western Union by 92.2% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,366 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 1,135 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Western Union by 1,092.6% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 5,462 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 5,004 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union during the third quarter valued at about $83,000. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on WU shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt began coverage on Western Union in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Wolfe Research reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, January 4th. William Blair restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Western Union from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $13.25.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU stock traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $13.39. The stock had a trading volume of 3,468,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,422,575. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.23, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a PE ratio of 7.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.79 and a beta of 0.85. The Western Union Company has a twelve month low of $10.37 and a twelve month high of $14.19.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.37. Western Union had a net margin of 14.37% and a return on equity of 113.63%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.32 earnings per share. Western Union's revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.02%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 55.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Timothy P. Murphy bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $12.85 per share, with a total value of $128,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 56,205 shares in the company, valued at $722,234.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.85% of the company's stock.

Western Union Company Profile

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.