UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Western Union (NYSE:WU) Stock Price

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its price objective boosted by UBS Group from $8.50 to $9.00 in a research note released on Monday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Western Union in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a “hold” rating and a $9.00 price target on the stock. Barclays set a $8.00 price objective on Western Union and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $10.00 target price on Western Union in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Western Union currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.70.

Western Union Price Performance

NYSE WU opened at $8.87 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $8.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. The company has a market cap of $2.82 billion, a PE ratio of 3.87, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.61. Western Union has a 1 year low of $7.85 and a 1 year high of $11.94.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.04. Western Union had a net margin of 18.80% and a return on equity of 60.85%. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th were paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.6%. Western Union’s payout ratio is presently 41.05%.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In other Western Union news, CFO Matthew Cagwin acquired 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $8.36 per share, with a total value of $146,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 225,611 shares in the company, valued at $1,886,107.96. The trade was a 8.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Devin Mcgranahan bought 176,470 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $8.49 per share, with a total value of $1,498,230.30. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 913,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,752,431.25. The trade was a 23.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Marshall Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the second quarter worth about $703,000. Ethic Inc. bought a new position in Western Union in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $360,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 29.9% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 145,513 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,540,000 after buying an additional 33,535 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 285.9% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 278,679 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,947,000 after acquiring an additional 206,463 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Western Union by 28.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,458,054 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $15,426,000 after acquiring an additional 324,213 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.