Allworth Financial LP Has $103,000 Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 782.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,010 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,876 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP’s holdings in Western Union were worth $103,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WU. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the third quarter worth $25,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Western Union during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new stake in Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its position in shares of Western Union by 1,734.7% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 4,597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $10.66 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $3.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50 day moving average of $10.52 and a 200-day moving average of $11.13. The Western Union Company has a one year low of $10.04 and a one year high of $14.19.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Friday, December 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.82%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WU has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Western Union currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.11.

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.