Western Union (NYSE:WU) Price Target Raised to $14.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its price target upped by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $13.00 to $14.00 in a research note published on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt initiated coverage on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a neutral rating on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an underperform rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, William Blair reissued a market perform rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $13.45.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of WU stock opened at $13.29 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a PE ratio of 7.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.23. Western Union has a twelve month low of $10.37 and a twelve month high of $14.19.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 14.12% and a return on equity of 111.53%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Western Union will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.07%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.62%.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In related news, Director Timothy P. Murphy bought 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $12.85 per share, for a total transaction of $128,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 56,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $722,234.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 134.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,956 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union during the first quarter valued at about $30,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Western Union by 92.2% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,366 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Western Union by 500.5% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,927 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.