Western Union (NYSE:WU) Price Target Raised to $9.00

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

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on WU. Monness Crespi & Hardt dropped their target price on Western Union from $7.50 to $7.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $10.00 target price on shares of Western Union in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. 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 research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Barclays set a $8.00 price target on shares of Western Union and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.70.

Western Union Stock Down 0.1%

Western Union stock opened at $8.91 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.83 billion, a PE ratio of 3.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.12. Western Union has a fifty-two week low of $7.85 and a fifty-two week high of $11.94. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $8.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.72.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 18.80%.The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. The firm’s 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 expect that Western Union will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Western Union news, CFO Matthew Cagwin bought 17,500 shares of the company’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 acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 225,611 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,886,107.96. This represents a 8.41% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini purchased 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $8.95 per share, with a total value of $89,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 186,932 shares in the company, valued at $1,673,041.40. The trade was a 5.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 203,970 shares of company stock worth $1,734,030. Corporate insiders own 1.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WU. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 649.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,462 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Western Union by 260.7% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,593 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 2,597 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in Western Union by 464.3% in the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 3,397 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 2,795 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Western Union by 667.0% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,602 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 4,002 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Western Union during the second quarter worth about $45,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.