Western Union (NYSE:WU) Price Target Lowered to $12.00 at Susquehanna

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Free Report) had its target price trimmed by Susquehanna from $13.00 to $12.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the credit services provider's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays lowered their target price on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group reduced 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $12.11.

Western Union Trading Down 5.5 %

NYSE:WU traded down $0.62 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $10.60. 8,265,573 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,684,605. Western Union has a 12-month low of $10.04 and a 12-month high of $14.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $10.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.88, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Western Union's payout ratio is 34.43%.

Western Union announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Friday, December 13th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to purchase up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WU. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in Western Union in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new position in shares of Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 89.3% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in Western Union by 1,734.7% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 4,597 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

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.