Curat Global LLC Makes New $121,000 Investment in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

Curat Global LLC purchased a new stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 11,470 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $121,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WU. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position in Western Union by 1,487.6% during the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 3,080 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 2,886 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its position in shares of Western Union by 662.7% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 3,234 shares during the period. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Western Union by 267.5% in the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 3,833 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 2,790 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in Western Union by 1,734.7% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 4,597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Western Union by 217.8% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 8,047 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 5,515 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU stock opened at $9.47 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.47, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.20. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.35. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $9.00 and a 52 week high of $13.12.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. The business had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.93%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WU has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $10.50 price objective (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Western Union in a report on Monday, June 2nd. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Western Union currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.78.

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.