Western Union (NYSE:WU) Receives Market Perform Rating from JMP Securities

JMP Securities reiterated their market perform rating on shares of Western Union (NYSE:WU - Free Report) in a research report report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on WU. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of 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 reduced their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.11.

Western Union Stock Down 1.7 %

WU stock traded down $0.18 during trading on Thursday, reaching $10.43. The stock had a trading volume of 8,984,407 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,734,282. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $10.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The company has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.82, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.85. Western Union has a 1-year low of $10.04 and a 1-year high of $14.19.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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, equities analysts anticipate that Western Union will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union declared that its board has approved a stock 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 reacquire up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.01%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.43%.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in Western Union during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new position in Western Union during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in 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 worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in Western Union by 1,734.7% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 4,597 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.