Western Union (NYSE:WU) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $10.19 and last traded at $10.31, with a volume of 633224 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $10.28.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WU has been the topic of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Barclays lowered their price target on Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, 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 research report on Thursday, October 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.63.

Western Union Trading Up 0.4 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. The company has a fifty day moving average of $10.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 23rd were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 23rd. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is 48.21%.

Western Union declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Friday, December 13th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to reacquire up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 52.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 895 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Western Union by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 50,387 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $534,000 after purchasing an additional 1,072 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in Western Union by 0.5% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 238,876 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,849,000 after purchasing an additional 1,205 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 88,410 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,055,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 13,177 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 1,508 shares in the last quarter. 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.