Western Union (NYSE:WU) Earns Market Perform Rating from JMP Securities

Western Union (NYSE:WU)‘s stock had its “market perform” rating restated by stock analysts at JMP Securities in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective 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. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays decreased their price target 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 reduced their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Western Union currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.20.

Western Union Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of WU stock traded up $0.27 during trading on Thursday, hitting $11.28. 3,002,104 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,225,517. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $10.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.27. Western Union has a twelve month low of $10.04 and a twelve month high of $14.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a net margin of 16.07% and a return on equity of 120.39%. As a group, analysts forecast that Western Union will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Friday, December 13th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to buy up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Western Union by 89.3% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in Western Union by 1,734.7% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 4,862 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 4,597 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

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.