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

JMP Securities reissued their market perform rating on shares of Western Union (NYSE:WU) in a report issued on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports.

Several other research analysts have also commented on WU. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays cut their price objective 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 target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have assigned 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 $12.20.

Western Union Trading Up 1.8 %

Western Union stock opened at $11.21 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. Western Union has a 52-week low of $10.04 and a 52-week high of $14.19. The company has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.27.

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

Western Union announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Friday, December 13th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to purchase up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.39%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.21%.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 89.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake 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 worth $52,000 after buying an additional 4,597 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Western Union

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.