UBS Group Lowers Western Union (NYSE:WU) Price Target to $12.00

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its target price lowered by analysts at UBS Group from $13.50 to $12.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 7.33% from the company’s current price.

WU has been the topic of several other research reports. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com raised Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.86.

Western Union Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Western Union stock opened at $11.18 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $11.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.36. Western Union has a fifty-two week low of $10.92 and a fifty-two week high of $14.19. The firm has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.02. Western Union had a return on equity of 123.71% and a net margin of 13.64%. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Western Union will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in Western Union by 52.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 895 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in Western Union during the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of Western Union by 89.3% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522 shares during the period. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 59.9% in the 1st quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,292 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 1,233 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.