The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) have been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the ten analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and seven have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $12.11.

WU has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WU. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 35.2% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 229,360 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,427,000 after buying an additional 59,777 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Western Union by 16.2% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 71,586 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $757,000 after purchasing an additional 9,980 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Western Union by 47.2% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 122,813 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,299,000 after purchasing an additional 39,382 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Western Union by 2.3% in the first quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 62,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $665,000 after buying an additional 1,393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. now owns 96,142 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,017,000 after buying an additional 9,205 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of WU opened at $9.81 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $10.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.72. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.69. Western Union has a 1-year low of $9.00 and a 1-year high of $13.93.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a return on equity of 96.90% and a net margin of 22.19%. Analysts expect that Western Union will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.59%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

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.