The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Shares Purchased by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC raised its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 92.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 61,314 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,388 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $650,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WU. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Western Union by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,305,933 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $66,843,000 after buying an additional 1,857,012 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $11,726,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Western Union by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,489,079 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $132,384,000 after purchasing an additional 549,931 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Western Union in the third quarter worth $3,663,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Western Union by 20.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,698,559 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $20,264,000 after purchasing an additional 283,479 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Performance

WU opened at $10.49 on Tuesday. The Western Union Company has a 1-year low of $10.04 and a 1-year high of $14.00. The company has a market capitalization of $3.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $10.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.98. 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 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 net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. Research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.97%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

Western Union announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Friday, December 13th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to purchase up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WU. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced 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. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays lowered their target price on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.