Auxier Asset Management Has $219,000 Holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Auxier Asset Management decreased its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 10.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,706 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,504 shares during the quarter. Auxier Asset Management’s holdings in Western Union were worth $219,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Western Union during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new stake in Western Union during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its position in Western Union by 1,487.6% during the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 3,080 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 2,886 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in Western Union by 662.7% during the 4th 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 period. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Western Union by 267.5% in the 4th quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 3,833 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 2,790 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Down 2.2%

WU stock opened at $9.42 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $9.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.44. The Western Union Company has a 12 month low of $9.00 and a 12 month high of $13.12.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. The firm’s revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.98%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Western Union’s payout ratio is 35.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WU shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $10.50 price objective (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Western Union from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $7.50 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Union currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.78.

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.