The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Receives $8.80 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) have been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and ten have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $8.80.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WU. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Western Union from $8.50 to $9.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday. Susquehanna upped their price target on Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Citigroup raised Western Union to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $9.51 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.02 billion, a PE ratio of 4.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $9.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.70. Western Union has a twelve month low of $7.85 and a twelve month high of $11.94.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.04. Western Union had a net margin of 18.80% and a return on equity of 60.85%. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.46 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Western Union will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.05%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Giovanni Angelini acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $8.95 per share, for a total transaction of $89,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 186,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,673,041.40. This trade represents a 5.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WU. Ethic Inc. purchased a new stake in Western Union during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $360,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in shares of Western Union during the second quarter worth $2,558,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Western Union during the third quarter worth $1,018,000. Novem Group purchased a new position in Western Union during the second quarter valued at $769,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its stake in Western Union by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 69,894 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $589,000 after purchasing an additional 3,399 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Company Profile

Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments. The company enables individuals and businesses to send and receive money through a variety of channels, including its vast agent network, online platforms, and mobile applications. Core services include person-to-person money transfers, business-to-business cross-border payments, bill payment services and prepaid card programs.

Through its digital offerings, Western Union provides customers with the ability to initiate transfers via its website and mobile app, as well as track transactions in real time.