Western Union (NYSE:WU) Sets New 12-Month Low - What's Next?

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $8.40 and last traded at $8.46, with a volume of 9935567 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $8.43.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WU has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective 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 reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Oppenheimer began coverage on Western Union in a report on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $10.50 target price (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $10.78.

Western Union Trading Up 0.3%

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $9.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.20. The company has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.16, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.68. 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 (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $983.60 million during 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.10%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.07%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Integrated Advisors Network LLC bought a new stake in Western Union during the first quarter worth about $149,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,018,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 68,237 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $723,000 after acquiring an additional 6,727 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 4th quarter worth approximately $705,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 43,095 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.