The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Receives Average Recommendation of "Reduce" from Analysts

Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Reduce" by the eleven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $10.78.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Western Union from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $7.50 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $10.50 price target (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WU. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its stake in Western Union by 1,487.6% during the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 3,080 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Western Union by 80.2% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,264 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,453 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 464.3% in the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 3,397 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 2,795 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 662.7% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 3,234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 188.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 2,483 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Stock Down 1.3%

Western Union stock traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $8.62. 4,714,256 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,575,042. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97. The stock has a market cap of $2.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.65. Western Union has a 1-year low of $8.29 and a 1-year high of $13.12. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $9.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.03.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $983.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 22.08% and a return on equity of 77.19%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.45 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Western Union will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.90%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.07%.

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.