Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Buys 122,752 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC increased its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 26.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 583,785 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 122,752 shares during the quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $6,188,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of WU. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Western Union during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new position in Western Union during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in Western Union by 662.7% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 3,234 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 4,597 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU opened at $10.13 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $10.64 and a 200 day moving average of $10.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The Western Union Company has a 12 month low of $9.84 and a 12 month high of $13.93. The company has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.71, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.69.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Western Union’s payout ratio is 34.43%.

Western Union announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Friday, December 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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