Western Union (NYSE:WU) Given New $15.00 Price Target at Evercore ISI

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its price target raised by research analysts at Evercore ISI from $14.00 to $15.00 in a research note issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “in-line” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. Evercore ISI’s price target suggests a potential upside of 11.40% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Wolfe Research restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Monness Crespi & Hardt began coverage on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.45.

Western Union Price Performance

NYSE:WU opened at $13.47 on Thursday. Western Union has a 52 week low of $10.37 and a 52 week high of $14.19. The firm has a market cap of $4.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.97, a P/E/G ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.23, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.05. Western Union had a net margin of 14.12% and a return on equity of 111.53%. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. Western Union’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Timothy P. Murphy purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $12.85 per share, with a total value of $128,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 56,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $722,234.25. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Western Union by 1.4% during the third quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 56,476 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $744,000 after purchasing an additional 791 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in Western Union by 0.5% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 169,552 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,235,000 after purchasing an additional 842 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in Western Union by 0.5% during the third quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 197,250 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,600,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Western Union by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 44,100 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $526,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its position in shares of Western Union by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 32,277 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 1,076 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.