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

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and seven have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $10.78.

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

Western Union Price Performance

NYSE:WU opened at $8.73 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97. Western Union has a 52 week low of $8.29 and a 52 week high of $13.12. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $9.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a PE ratio of 3.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.65.

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

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.77%. Western Union's payout ratio is 35.07%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WU. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position 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 last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 80.2% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,264 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,453 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 464.3% in the 1st quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 3,397 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 2,795 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Western Union by 662.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 3,234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Western Union by 188.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 2,483 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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