Russell Investments Group Ltd. Decreases Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,407 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 1,216 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Western Union were worth $587,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Western Union by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 50,387 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $534,000 after purchasing an additional 1,072 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 88,410 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,055,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 61,606 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $653,000 after purchasing an additional 1,560 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in shares of Western Union by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 45,825 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $486,000 after purchasing an additional 1,565 shares during the period. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Western Union by 6.8% during the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 27,044 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $323,000 after buying an additional 1,727 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Trading Up 3.2 %

Shares of Western Union stock opened at $10.02 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.36 billion, a PE ratio of 3.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.69. 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 Western Union Company has a fifty-two week low of $9.00 and a fifty-two week high of $13.93. The business’s fifty day moving average is $10.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.69.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. Analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.38%. Western Union’s payout ratio is 34.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WU shares. Morgan Stanley decreased 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. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.