Brokerages Set The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Price Target at $12.86

Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) have been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $12.86.

Several research firms recently commented on WU. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in Western Union during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 52.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 895 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Western Union in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in 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 worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,233 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of Western Union stock opened at $11.06 on Wednesday. Western Union has a 12-month low of $10.51 and a 12-month high of $14.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.74 billion, a PE ratio of 5.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $11.40 and its 200-day moving average is $12.04.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 16.07% and a return on equity of 120.39%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Western Union will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

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.