DGS Capital Management LLC Sells 13,282 Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

DGS Capital Management LLC reduced its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 49.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,762 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 13,282 shares during the quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $146,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WU. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Western Union by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 121,455 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,484,000 after acquiring an additional 12,495 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 6.5% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 384,575 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,700,000 after purchasing an additional 23,523 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Western Union in the 2nd quarter worth about $183,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Western Union by 18.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 142,398 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,740,000 after buying an additional 21,766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Western Union by 62.8% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,730,450 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $45,586,000 after buying an additional 1,439,310 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

WU stock opened at $10.25 on Monday. The Western Union Company has a one year low of $10.19 and a one year high of $14.19. The firm has a market cap of $3.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.25, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.85. 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 50-day simple moving average of $10.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.38.

Western Union declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Friday, December 13th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to repurchase up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 23rd were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.18%. Western Union’s payout ratio is 48.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WU has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group cut their price target on Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Union currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.63.

About Western Union

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.