The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Receives Average Recommendation of "Reduce" from Analysts

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and seven have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $13.14.

A number of research firms have weighed in on WU. StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $13.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st.

Western Union Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE WU traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $12.15. 2,630,114 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,006,019. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.21, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.80. Western Union has a twelve month low of $10.92 and a twelve month high of $14.19.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.01). Western Union had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 123.71%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Western Union will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.74%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 55.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Western Union by 12.4% in the 2nd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 20,655 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $252,000 after buying an additional 2,280 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its stake in Western Union by 52.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 895 shares during the period. Invst LLC raised its stake in Western Union by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 113,568 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,381,000 after buying an additional 1,544 shares during the period. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union in the second quarter worth approximately $190,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 89.3% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

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.