Western Union (NYSE:WU) Given New $8.00 Price Target at Cantor Fitzgerald

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its price objective lowered by Cantor Fitzgerald from $9.00 to $8.00 in a research note released on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. Cantor Fitzgerald currently has an underweight rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Citigroup dropped 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. Barclays initiated coverage on Western Union in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $7.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.35.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $8.46 on Wednesday. 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 price-to-earnings ratio of 6.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $7.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.82.

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

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In related news, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 311,292 shares in the company, valued at $2,947,935.24. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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 the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total value of $183,898.52. Following the sale, the insider owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at $2,166,179.47. This represents a 7.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its position in Western Union by 606.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 2,803 shares during the period. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in Western Union during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 3,124 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Western Union by 67.0% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,331 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,336 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 2,146 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.