Cantor Fitzgerald Lowers Western Union (NYSE:WU) Price Target to $8.00

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its price target cut by research analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from $9.00 to $8.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “underweight” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s target price would suggest a potential downside of 5.49% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on WU. Weiss Ratings downgraded Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Western Union in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $7.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on Western Union from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.35.

Western Union Price Performance

Western Union stock opened at $8.46 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $7.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.82. Western Union has a 1 year low of $6.91 and a 1 year high of $10.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $963.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 10.88% and a return on equity of 55.94%. Western Union’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Western Union will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In other Western Union news, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total transaction of $56,820.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 311,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,947,935.24. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total transaction of $183,898.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at $2,166,179.47. The trade was a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WU. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in Western Union by 606.7% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 2,803 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its holdings in shares of Western Union by 1,546.5% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 3,326 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 3,124 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Western Union by 67.0% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,331 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,336 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in Western Union by 179.6% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,341 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 2,146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new position in Western Union during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Company Profile

Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments. The company enables individuals and businesses to send and receive money through a variety of channels, including its vast agent network, online platforms, and mobile applications. Core services include person-to-person money transfers, business-to-business cross-border payments, bill payment services and prepaid card programs.

Through its digital offerings, Western Union provides customers with the ability to initiate transfers via its website and mobile app, as well as track transactions in real time.