Analysts Set The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Price Target at $12.11

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) has earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and eight have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $12.11.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WU. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WU. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Western Union in the third quarter worth $25,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Western Union in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky purchased a new position in Western Union in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its stake in Western Union by 1,487.6% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 3,080 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,886 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 662.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 3,234 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Performance

NYSE:WU opened at $11.06 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.09. The stock has a market cap of $3.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.85. Western Union has a twelve month low of $10.04 and a twelve month high of $14.19.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. As a group, research analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Friday, December 13th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to repurchase up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.50%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.43%.

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.