Western Union (NYSE:WU) Given New $15.00 Price Target at Evercore ISI

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its price target increased by Evercore ISI from $14.00 to $15.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. Evercore ISI currently has an in-line rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. William Blair restated a market perform rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Wolfe Research reiterated an underperform rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt started coverage on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a neutral rating for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Western Union currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $13.45.

Western Union Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:WU opened at $13.47 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.38, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.01. Western Union has a fifty-two week low of $10.37 and a fifty-two week high of $14.19. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.61.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 14.12% and a return on equity of 120.76%. Western Union’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. Analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.98%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.62%.

Insider Activity at Western Union

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WU. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 59.5% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 11,588 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $153,000 after purchasing an additional 4,324 shares during the period. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 134.8% during the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,956 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,123 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union during the third quarter valued at $667,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised 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 purchasing an additional 1,135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Edmp Inc. raised its stake in Western Union by 7.4% during the third quarter. Edmp Inc. now owns 17,704 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225 shares in the last quarter. 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.