Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. Buys 189,125 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 248.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 265,135 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 189,125 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. owned 0.08% of Western Union worth $2,810,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WU. MML Investors Services LLC raised its position in shares of Western Union by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 29,204 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 4,247 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Western Union by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 608,454 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $7,257,000 after buying an additional 51,327 shares in the last quarter. Invst LLC lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 4.5% in the third quarter. Invst LLC now owns 118,711 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,416,000 after acquiring an additional 5,143 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the third quarter worth about $381,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union during the third quarter worth about $310,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE WU opened at $9.81 on Friday. The Western Union Company has a 1-year low of $9.00 and a 1-year high of $13.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The business’s 50 day moving average is $10.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.59, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.69.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released 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 net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. As a group, research analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.59%. Western Union’s payout ratio is 34.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WU has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.11.

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.