Brokerages Set The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Target Price at $8.82

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) has been given an average recommendation of “Reduce” by the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and ten have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $8.8182.

A number of research firms have recently commented on WU. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Western Union to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on Western Union from $8.50 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Citigroup raised Western Union to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Western Union by 15.5% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 39,859 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $422,000 after buying an additional 5,351 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 27.4% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,964,972 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $20,789,000 after acquiring an additional 422,715 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,861,908 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $19,699,000 after purchasing an additional 154,110 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 93.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 27,535 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 13,302 shares during the period. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in Western Union by 35.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 28,656 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 7,564 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Western Union Stock Performance

NYSE WU opened at $9.46 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.13, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.52. Western Union has a fifty-two week low of $7.85 and a fifty-two week high of $11.94. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.9%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is 41.05%.

Western Union Company Profile

Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments. The company enables individuals and businesses to send and receive money through a variety of channels, including its vast agent network, online platforms, and mobile applications. Core services include person-to-person money transfers, business-to-business cross-border payments, bill payment services and prepaid card programs.

Through its digital offerings, Western Union provides customers with the ability to initiate transfers via its website and mobile app, as well as track transactions in real time.