Western Union (NYSE:WU) Raised to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Western Union (NYSE:WU) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Thursday.

WU has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a neutral rating and set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $13.14.

Western Union Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $12.20 on Thursday. Western Union has a 1 year low of $10.92 and a 1 year high of $14.19. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $12.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.82. The company has a market cap of $4.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.22, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.01). Western Union had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 123.71%. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Western Union will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.70%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WU. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Western Union during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 500.5% during the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,927 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Western Union during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in Western Union by 52.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 895 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Western Union in the first quarter worth about $37,000. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.