Cantor Fitzgerald Reaffirms "Underweight" Rating for Western Union (NYSE:WU)

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed its Underweight rating on Western Union and set a $6 price target, implying 12.75% downside from the previous close.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly cautious: MarketBeat reports a consensus “Reduce” rating and an average price target of $6.95, with seven analysts rating the stock Hold and seven Sell.
• Western Union’s latest quarterly EPS of $0.42 beat estimates of $0.34, but revenue of $1.01 billion missed expectations and declined 2.3% year over year.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "underweight" rating reissued by equities research analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald in a report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $6.00 price target on the credit services provider's stock. Cantor Fitzgerald's price objective points to a potential downside of 12.75% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Western Union from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Western Union from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Wolfe Research restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $8.00 target price on shares of Western Union in a report on Friday, July 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and seven have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $6.95.

Western Union Stock Down 0.0%

Western Union stock opened at $6.88 on Monday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $6.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.01. The stock has a market cap of $2.15 billion, a PE ratio of 6.55 and a beta of 0.56. Western Union has a 1-year low of $5.87 and a 1-year high of $10.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.16.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.08. Western Union had a return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.32%. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.47 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Western Union will post 1.30 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 13.5% during the third quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 72,645 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 8,660 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its position in Western Union by 40.2% during the 3rd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 85,890 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 24,623 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in Western Union by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 64,264 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 10,003 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 203.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 159,171 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $939,000 after purchasing an additional 106,643 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fulcrum Asset Management LLP grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 14,058.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 179,247 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,070,000 after purchasing an additional 177,981 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Company Profile

Western Union is a global provider of money movement and payment services. Through its branded digital platforms and retail agent network, the company enables consumers to send and receive money, transfer funds between bank accounts and digital wallets, pay bills, and purchase money orders in select markets.

The company serves customers across more than 200 countries and territories, with services available through physical locations as well as its website and mobile application. Its operations connect individuals and businesses across international borders, supporting both cash-based transactions and account-to-account transfers.

Western Union traces its origins to 1851, when it was established as a telegraph company before expanding into money transfer and payment services.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.