AlphaQuest LLC Sells 45,473 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

AlphaQuest LLC trimmed its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 77.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,365 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 45,473 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $142,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Foundry Partners LLC bought a new position in Western Union in the 3rd quarter valued at $8,124,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Western Union by 293.3% in the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 198,002 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,362,000 after buying an additional 147,658 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Western Union by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,698,559 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $20,264,000 after buying an additional 283,479 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its position in Western Union by 19.0% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 523,676 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,247,000 after buying an additional 83,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC bought a new position in Western Union in the 3rd quarter valued at $734,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on WU shares. Barclays decreased their price objective on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on 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. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.11.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of Western Union stock opened at $10.66 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.60 billion, a PE ratio of 3.90, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.79. The Western Union Company has a 12 month low of $10.04 and a 12 month high of $14.00. 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 stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.03.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 EPS 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%. On average, research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan 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 reacquire up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is 34.43%.

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.