Western Union (NYSE:WU) Now Covered by Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Western Union (NYSE:WU - Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm issued a market perform rating on the credit services provider's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on WU. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded 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. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $10.50 price objective (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $10.78.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of Western Union stock traded up $0.14 during trading on Monday, hitting $9.42. 5,699,053 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,170,139. The stock's fifty day moving average is $9.81 and its 200 day moving average is $10.38. The stock has a market cap of $3.11 billion, a PE ratio of 3.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.20. Western Union has a 12 month low of $9.00 and a 12 month high of $13.12.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $983.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. Western Union's revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Western Union will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.98%. Western Union's payout ratio is 35.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WU. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Western Union by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 68,237 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $723,000 after buying an additional 6,727 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its position in Western Union by 50.6% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 122,956 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 41,317 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Western Union during the 4th quarter valued at $705,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Western Union by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 480,543 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $5,094,000 after acquiring an additional 76,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 145.1% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 72,795 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $786,000 after purchasing an additional 43,095 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.