Trexquant Investment LP Buys 403,540 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Trexquant Investment LP increased its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 287.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 543,957 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 403,540 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP owned about 0.15% of Western Union worth $6,484,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WU. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 0.5% in the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 169,552 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,235,000 after purchasing an additional 842 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Western Union by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 44,100 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $526,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in Western Union by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 32,277 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $385,000 after buying an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 23.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 6,793 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 1,278 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 106,623 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,405,000 after acquiring an additional 1,455 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of Western Union stock traded down $0.02 on Wednesday, hitting $12.93. The stock had a trading volume of 1,950,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,141,240. The stock has a market cap of $4.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.38. The Western Union Company has a twelve month low of $10.92 and a twelve month high of $14.19. The business's 50 day moving average is $13.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.70.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.05. Western Union had a return on equity of 120.76% and a net margin of 14.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 55.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays raised their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. William Blair reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. 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 report on Wednesday, February 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $13.61.

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.