Western Union (NYSE:WU) Reaches New 1-Year Low - What's Next?

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $8.96 and last traded at $8.99, with a volume of 767636 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.13.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer began coverage on Western Union in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price 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. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Western Union currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $10.78.

Western Union Trading Up 0.4%

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.17, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.68. The business's 50 day moving average is $9.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 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 net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. Western Union's revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. Analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Western Union's payout ratio is currently 35.07%.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WU. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in Western Union by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,298 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 982 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 239,236 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,530,000 after purchasing an additional 1,085 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 186,822 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,249 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 405,839 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $4,294,000 after purchasing an additional 1,262 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 62,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $665,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

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.