Western Union (NYSE:WU) Given a $8.50 Price Target at UBS Group

Western Union (NYSE:WU) has been assigned a $8.50 price target by research analysts at UBS Group in a report released on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 4.94% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on WU. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Western Union in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $9.00 price objective on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their price target on shares of Western Union from $7.50 to $7.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Western Union in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Western Union presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $8.83.

Western Union Stock Performance

WU opened at $8.10 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.07, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a fifty day moving average of $8.75 and a 200 day moving average of $9.77. Western Union has a fifty-two week low of $7.99 and a fifty-two week high of $12.40.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.02). Western Union had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 66.11%. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.44 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Western Union will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WU. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 1,487.6% during the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 3,080 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,886 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Western Union by 80.2% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,264 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,453 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 464.3% in the 1st quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 3,397 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 2,795 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank grew its position in shares of Western Union by 662.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 3,234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 188.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 2,483 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

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.