The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Shares Acquired by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 17.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 195,271 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,281 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned approximately 0.06% of Western Union worth $2,070,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WU. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 782.7% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 10,010 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 8,876 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Western Union by 19.1% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 480,543 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,094,000 after buying an additional 76,900 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $113,000. Savant Capital LLC acquired a new position in Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $774,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in Western Union by 1,734.7% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 4,597 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Western Union Stock Performance

NYSE:WU opened at $10.63 on Friday. The Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $10.04 and a 1 year high of $14.19. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.14. 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 market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a PE ratio of 3.89, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Friday, December 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to purchase up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on WU. Susquehanna dropped 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 note on Wednesday, February 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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 note on Monday, December 9th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Western Union currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.