The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $10.44 and last traded at $10.46, with a volume of 634909 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $10.48.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
WU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.63.
View Our Latest Stock Report on WU
Western Union Stock Performance
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $10.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.70. The company has a market cap of $3.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.39, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.86.
Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.02. Western Union had a return on equity of 120.39% and a net margin of 16.07%. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.
Western Union Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 23rd will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.94%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.21%.
Western Union declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Friday, December 13th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 895 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position 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 valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 31.1% during the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,316 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the third quarter worth $60,000. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.
Western Union Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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