Moran Wealth Management LLC Has $1.79 Million Stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Moran Wealth Management LLC lowered its stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 20.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 168,659 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 43,877 shares during the period. Moran Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $1,788,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Foundry Partners LLC acquired a new position in Western Union in the 3rd quarter valued at $8,124,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Western Union by 293.3% in the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 198,002 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,362,000 after purchasing an additional 147,658 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Western Union by 20.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,698,559 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $20,264,000 after purchasing an additional 283,479 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 19.0% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 523,676 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $6,247,000 after purchasing an additional 83,715 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Western Union during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $734,000. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Down 5.5 %

Shares of WU opened at $10.98 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $10.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.07. The stock has a market cap of $3.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.02, a P/E/G 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 $14.18.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its earnings results 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%. Equities analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.56%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Western Union’s payout ratio is 34.43%.

Western Union declared that its board has approved a share 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 purchase up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna dropped 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. Barclays cut 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. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. Three 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 MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.11.

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.