The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $10.78.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $10.50 price target (down from $11.00) on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, April 24th.

Western Union Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $9.71 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. Western Union has a 12 month low of $9.00 and a 12 month high of $13.45. The firm has a market cap of $3.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $10.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.51.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.01. Western Union had a net margin of 22.19% and a return on equity of 96.90%. The company had revenue of $983.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Western Union will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WU. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Western Union during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new stake in Western Union during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $33,000 after buying an additional 2,886 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Western Union by 80.2% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,264 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,453 shares during the period. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Western Union by 464.3% during the 1st quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 3,397 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 2,795 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is currently 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.