Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co Purchases New Position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 25,960 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $275,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Western Union by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 50,387 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $534,000 after acquiring an additional 1,072 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in Western Union by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 61,606 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $653,000 after purchasing an additional 1,560 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in Western Union by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 45,825 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 1,565 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Western Union by 6.8% during the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 27,044 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $323,000 after buying an additional 1,727 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Down 1.4 %

WU stock opened at $10.48 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The Western Union Company has a 1-year low of $10.04 and a 1-year high of $13.95. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $10.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.94.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Friday, December 13th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to purchase up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.97%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WU shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price 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. Susquehanna decreased their target price 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 lowered their target price on shares of 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 restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.11.

About Western Union

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.