Swiss National Bank Purchases 3,800 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Swiss National Bank lifted its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 664,300 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.20% of Western Union worth $7,042,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Western Union by 2,188.1% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,678 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 18,818 shares during the period. Amundi raised its position in shares of Western Union by 190.9% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 334,911 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $3,496,000 after buying an additional 219,798 shares during the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC purchased a new position in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter worth $328,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Western Union during the fourth quarter worth $705,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new position in Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at $186,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on WU shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Barclays reduced their price objective on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $12.11.

Western Union Price Performance

WU stock opened at $10.64 on Friday. 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 Western Union Company has a 12 month low of $10.04 and a 12 month high of $14.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a PE ratio of 3.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $10.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.00.

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 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 8.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Western Union’s payout ratio is presently 34.43%.

Western Union declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Friday, December 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to repurchase up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.