Western Union (WU) to Release Earnings on Tuesday

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) is expected to issue its quarterly earnings data after the market closes on Tuesday, February 4th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.42 per share and revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter. Persons interested in participating in the company's earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $10.27. 6,615,985 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,342,467. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.85. Western Union has a fifty-two week low of $10.19 and a fifty-two week high of $14.19. The business's 50 day moving average is $10.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96.

Western Union declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Friday, December 13th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to buy up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 23rd were given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.16%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on WU. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased 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. Barclays lowered their target price 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 cut 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, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.63.

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.