Two Sigma Advisers LP Increases Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 68.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 894,000 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 364,200 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned about 0.26% of Western Union worth $9,476,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 6,727 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Western Union by 50.6% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 122,956 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 41,317 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Western Union in the fourth quarter worth about $705,000. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Western Union by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 480,543 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,094,000 after purchasing an additional 76,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Western Union by 145.1% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 72,795 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $786,000 after purchasing an additional 43,095 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of WU opened at $9.65 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $10.01 and its 200 day moving average is $10.45. The company has a market capitalization of $3.19 billion, a PE ratio of 3.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $9.00 and a 12-month high of $13.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $983.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 96.90% and a net margin of 22.19%. The company’s revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. Research analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.74%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Western Union’s payout ratio is currently 35.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Western Union from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $7.50 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective 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. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $10.50 price objective (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.78.

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.