One Wealth Advisors LLC Reduces Position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

One Wealth Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 46.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 11,761 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 10,349 shares during the quarter. One Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $125,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Western Union during the third quarter worth $25,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new stake in Western Union during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Quarry LP raised its position in Western Union by 52.9% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 895 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Western Union by 89.3% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Down 0.4 %

WU stock opened at $10.28 on Tuesday. The Western Union Company has a one year low of $10.04 and a one year high of $14.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $3.47 billion, a PE ratio of 5.27, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $10.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.30.

Western Union announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 23rd were issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.15%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered 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 note on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.63.

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.