Northland Capmk Analysts Cut Earnings Estimates for The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) – Equities researchers at Northland Capmk reduced their Q2 2024 EPS estimates for shares of Western Union in a research report issued on Thursday, April 25th. Northland Capmk analyst M. Grondahl now expects that the credit services provider will post earnings of $0.45 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.47. The consensus estimate for Western Union’s current full-year earnings is $1.68 per share. Northland Capmk also issued estimates for Western Union’s Q3 2024 earnings at $0.44 EPS and FY2024 earnings at $1.75 EPS.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on WU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Monness Crespi & Hardt began coverage on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Western Union from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.45.

Western Union Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:WU opened at $13.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.23, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.62. Western Union has a fifty-two week low of $10.37 and a fifty-two week high of $14.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.58 billion, a PE ratio of 7.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.05. Western Union had a return on equity of 111.53% and a net margin of 14.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 134.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,956 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Western Union during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Western Union in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Western Union by 92.2% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,366 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,135 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 500.5% in the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,927 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In related news, Director Timothy P. Murphy acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $12.85 per share, for a total transaction of $128,500.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 56,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $722,234.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.85% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.98%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.62%.

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.