Pinebridge Investments L.P. Grows Position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Pinebridge Investments L.P. raised its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 87.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 190,232 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 88,985 shares during the quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. owned approximately 0.06% of Western Union worth $2,016,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Western Union by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,698,559 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $20,264,000 after purchasing an additional 283,479 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its stake in Western Union by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 68,237 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $723,000 after acquiring an additional 6,727 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Western Union by 50.6% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 122,956 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,303,000 after acquiring an additional 41,317 shares in the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC increased its position in Western Union by 828.1% during the 4th quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 93,959 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $996,000 after purchasing an additional 83,835 shares during the period. Finally, Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at about $922,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WU has been the topic of several research reports. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Western Union from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $7.50 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 24th. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company 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 stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $10.78.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $9.72. 5,921,550 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,859,908. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $10.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.59. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $9.00 and a 12-month high of $13.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.69.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.01. Western Union had a return on equity of 96.90% and a net margin of 22.19%. The business had revenue of $983.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.45 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.67%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.07%.

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.