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

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the ten research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $12.63.

WU has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays lowered their price objective 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th.

Western Union Trading Up 0.1 %

Western Union stock traded up $0.01 during trading on Thursday, hitting $10.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,734,684 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,287,236. The stock's fifty day moving average is $10.78 and its 200 day moving average is $11.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. Western Union has a 1-year low of $10.26 and a 1-year high of $14.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.02. Western Union had a net margin of 16.07% and a return on equity of 120.39%. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. The company's revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

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

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.00%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in Western Union during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 52.9% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 895 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Western Union by 89.3% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Western Union by 31.1% during the 2nd quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,316 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 1,024 shares during the period. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp acquired a new position in shares of Western Union in the third quarter worth about $60,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently 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.