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

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the ten research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and seven have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $12.86.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, July 17th.

Western Union Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of WU stock traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $11.17. 5,281,215 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,070,146. The stock has a market cap of $3.77 billion, a PE ratio of 6.85, a PEG ratio of 1.74 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 stock's fifty day moving average price is $11.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.36. Western Union has a 1 year low of $10.92 and a 1 year high of $14.19.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.02. Western Union had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 123.71%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth $401,000. Insight Folios Inc increased its position in Western Union by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Insight Folios Inc now owns 466,494 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,565,000 after acquiring an additional 46,087 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its stake in Western Union by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 238,876 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,849,000 after acquiring an additional 1,205 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its stake in Western Union by 12.1% during the 3rd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 185,573 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,274,000 after acquiring an additional 20,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Western Union by 50.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 43,121 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $514,000 after acquiring an additional 14,415 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.