Western Union (NYSE:WU) Raised to Strong Sell at Cantor Fitzgerald

Western Union (NYSE:WU) was upgraded by research analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

WU has been the subject of several other research reports. Susquehanna raised their target price on Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Western Union from $8.50 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Western Union from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.82.

Western Union Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:WU opened at $9.34 on Tuesday. Western Union has a 1 year low of $7.85 and a 1 year high of $11.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $9.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The company has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.51.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Giovanni Angelini bought 10,000 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $8.95 per share, with a total value of $89,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 2,803 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 2,597 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in Western Union by 1,546.5% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 3,326 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 3,124 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Western Union by 164.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,581 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Western Union during the third quarter valued at about $37,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Western Union

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.