Evercore ISI Increases Western Union (NYSE:WU) Price Target to $15.00

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its price objective increased by Evercore ISI from $14.00 to $15.00 in a research report report published on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. Evercore ISI currently has an in-line rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on WU. Monness Crespi & Hardt started coverage on Western Union in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a neutral rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Western Union from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an underperform rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, January 4th. William Blair reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Western Union presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $13.45.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU opened at $13.29 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.23. Western Union has a 12 month low of $10.37 and a 12 month high of $14.19. The company has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.86, a P/E/G ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 111.53% and a net margin of 14.12%. The company’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Western Union will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.07%. Western Union’s payout ratio is 55.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Timothy P. Murphy acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $722,234.25. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Western Union by 134.8% in 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 last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,927 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.