Western Union (NYSE:WU) Price Target Cut to $12.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

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

WU has been the topic of a number of other research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. 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 report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Union currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.86.

Western Union Price Performance

NYSE:WU opened at $11.17 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $11.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.36. Western Union has a 1-year low of $10.92 and a 1-year high of $14.19. The firm has a market cap of $3.77 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.02. Western Union had a net margin of 13.64% and a return on equity of 123.71%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Western Union will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 52.9% during 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union in the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Western Union by 89.3% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in 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 worth $46,000 after buying an additional 1,233 shares in the last quarter. 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.