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

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its price target reduced by UBS Group from $13.50 to $12.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 target price on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.86.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $11.17 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.85 and its 200-day simple moving average 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 has a one year low of $10.92 and a one year high of $14.19. The firm has a market cap of $3.77 billion, a PE ratio of 6.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.86.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. Western Union’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in Western Union by 52.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 895 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Western Union in the first quarter worth $37,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Western Union by 89.3% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,522 shares during the period. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 59.9% during the first quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,292 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 1,233 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.