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

Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $8.8182.

A number of analysts recently commented on WU shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Western Union from $8.50 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Western Union to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Western Union to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd.

Western Union Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE WU opened at $9.79 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $9.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.83. The company has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a PE ratio of 4.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.52. Western Union has a 12-month low of $7.85 and a 12-month high of $11.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.6%. Western Union’s payout ratio is currently 41.05%.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Western Union by 11,759.8% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,954,045 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $74,052,000 after purchasing an additional 7,886,978 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 401.4% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,604,026 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $70,793,000 after buying an additional 6,087,613 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in shares of Western Union by 48.5% during the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 13,240,037 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $111,481,000 after buying an additional 4,321,604 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its position in shares of Western Union by 821.1% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 4,170,343 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $35,114,000 after buying an additional 3,717,589 shares during the period. Finally, Discerene Group LP boosted its holdings in Western Union by 55.1% in the second quarter. Discerene Group LP now owns 10,366,558 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $87,286,000 after acquiring an additional 3,684,366 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Company Profile

Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments. The company enables individuals and businesses to send and receive money through a variety of channels, including its vast agent network, online platforms, and mobile applications. Core services include person-to-person money transfers, business-to-business cross-border payments, bill payment services and prepaid card programs.

Through its digital offerings, Western Union provides customers with the ability to initiate transfers via its website and mobile app, as well as track transactions in real time.