LSV Asset Management Sells 253,900 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

LSV Asset Management cut its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 10,238,573 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 253,900 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Western Union were worth $108,529,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WU. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new position in Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its position 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 worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 3,234 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 4,597 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Western Union during the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company 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 note on Thursday, April 3rd. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.11.

Western Union Stock Down 5.1 %

NYSE WU opened at $9.49 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $10.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.18 billion, a PE ratio of 3.47, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.69. The Western Union Company has a fifty-two week low of $9.00 and a fifty-two week high of $13.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

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

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is 34.43%.

Western Union announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Friday, December 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Western Union 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.