Western Union (NYSE:WU) PT Lowered to $12.00 at UBS Group

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its price target lowered by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $13.50 to $12.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 7.33% from the stock’s current price.

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

Western Union Trading Up 0.2 %

Western Union stock opened at $11.18 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.86. Western Union has a 1 year low of $10.92 and a 1 year high of $14.19. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $11.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. Western Union’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WU. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new position in Western Union during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Western Union by 52.9% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 1st quarter worth $37,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Western Union by 89.3% in 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 buying an additional 1,522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Western Union by 59.9% during the 1st quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,292 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,233 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.