Western Union (NYSE:WU) PT Lowered to $14.00 at Royal Bank of Canada

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its price objective reduced by Royal Bank of Canada from $16.00 to $14.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a sector perform rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on WU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $13.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $13.43.

Western Union Price Performance

Western Union stock opened at $11.51 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $12.47 and a 200-day moving average of $12.90. Western Union has a 52-week low of $10.92 and a 52-week high of $14.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.81, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 120.23%. Western Union’s quarterly revenue was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC boosted its position in Western Union by 45.5% during the 2nd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 32,639 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $399,000 after acquiring an additional 10,200 shares during the period. Range Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Western Union by 6.3% in the second quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 115,111 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,407,000 after purchasing an additional 6,837 shares during the period. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Western Union in the 2nd quarter valued at about $235,000. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Western Union by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 49,801 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $609,000 after buying an additional 6,107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Western Union by 18.2% during the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 12,298 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 1,890 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.