The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Shares Sold by Ensign Peak Advisors Inc

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc cut its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 56.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 118,937 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 155,551 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Western Union were worth $1,261,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new position in Western Union during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in Western Union by 662.7% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 3,234 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC grew its position 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 valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 2,790 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 1,734.7% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 4,597 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Price Performance

NYSE:WU opened at $9.93 on Friday. The Western Union Company has a one year low of $9.00 and a one year high of $13.22. The stock has a market cap of $3.28 billion, a PE ratio of 3.64, a P/E/G 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $10.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.48.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. Western Union had a return on equity of 96.90% and a net margin of 22.19%. The company had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.45 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.47%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Western Union’s payout ratio is currently 35.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WU shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target 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. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $10.50 target price (down previously from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered Western Union from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $7.50 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.