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

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $8.50 to $9.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 1.41% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on WU. Weiss Ratings upgraded Western Union from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Barclays set a $8.00 price target on shares of Western Union and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Susquehanna increased 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. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.70.

Western Union Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of WU traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $8.88. The company had a trading volume of 6,183,833 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,316,980. Western Union has a 1-year low of $7.85 and a 1-year high of $11.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.73. The stock has a market cap of $2.82 billion, a PE ratio of 3.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.61.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. Western Union’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Western Union will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Devin Mcgranahan acquired 176,470 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.49 per share, for a total transaction of $1,498,230.30. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 913,125 shares in the company, valued at $7,752,431.25. This trade represents a 23.96% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Matthew Cagwin purchased 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.36 per share, with a total value of $146,300.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 225,611 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,886,107.96. This represents a 8.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WU. Michels Family Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Michels Family Financial LLC now owns 46,722 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,436 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in Western Union by 46.8% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 608,511 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,862,000 after buying an additional 194,020 shares during the last quarter. Brickwood Asset Management LLP boosted its holdings in Western Union by 13.4% during the third quarter. Brickwood Asset Management LLP now owns 3,804,124 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $30,395,000 after buying an additional 450,428 shares during the last quarter. PARK CIRCLE Co acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth about $823,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Western Union by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 782,266 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,250,000 after acquiring an additional 40,444 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.