The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Receives $13.14 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) has received a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and seven have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $13.14.

WU has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU stock opened at $11.80 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.98, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. Western Union has a 1 year low of $10.92 and a 1 year high of $14.19. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $11.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.57.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 123.71%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Western Union during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Western Union during the first quarter valued at $32,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Western Union by 52.9% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 895 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Western Union by 89.3% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.