The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Stock Position Decreased by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 9.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 448,760 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 47,194 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $4,757,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew 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 in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 1.4% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 88,410 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,055,000 after buying an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 61,606 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $653,000 after buying an additional 1,560 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in Western Union by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 45,825 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $486,000 after buying an additional 1,565 shares during the period. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Western Union by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 27,044 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $323,000 after acquiring an additional 1,727 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WU shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays lowered their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three research 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.11.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $10.63 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The business has a 50-day moving average of $10.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.92. The Western Union Company has a fifty-two week low of $10.04 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 posted its earnings results 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.84%. Western Union’s payout ratio is presently 34.43%.

Western Union announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Friday, December 13th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to purchase up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are 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.