Western Union (NYSE:WU) PT Raised to $14.00

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its price objective increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $13.00 to $14.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an underweight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. William Blair reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an underperform rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Western Union has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $13.45.

Western Union Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $13.47 on Thursday. Western Union has a 52-week low of $10.37 and a 52-week high of $14.19. The company has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.38, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.01.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.05. Western Union had a net margin of 14.12% and a return on equity of 120.76%. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. Western Union’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Western Union will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.98%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In related news, Director Timothy P. Murphy bought 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $12.85 per share, for a total transaction of $128,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 56,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $722,234.25. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 134.8% during the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,956 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the third quarter worth $29,000. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the first quarter worth $30,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 92.2% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,366 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,135 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 500.5% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,927 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

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.