Monness Crespi & Hardt Has Lowered Expectations for Western Union (NYSE:WU) Stock Price

Key Points

• Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Western Union’s price target from $6.00 to $5.00 and maintained a “sell” rating, implying 16.87% downside from the stock’s $6.01 opening price.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly negative: Western Union has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell”, with eight Sell ratings, six Holds, and an average price target of $7.45.
• The company’s latest quarterly results missed expectations, reporting $0.31 in earnings per share versus the $0.42 consensus estimate, while revenue fell 1.3% year over year to $1.01 billion.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) had its target price lowered by investment analysts at Monness Crespi & Hardt from $6.00 to $5.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage currently has a "sell" rating on the credit services provider's stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt's price target points to a potential downside of 16.87% from the company's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Western Union from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. New Street Research reaffirmed a "reduce" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a $8.00 target price on shares of Western Union in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and eight have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Strong Sell" and an average target price of $7.45.

Western Union Price Performance

WU opened at $6.01 on Friday. Western Union has a 1 year low of $5.94 and a 1 year high of $10.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.50. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $7.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.03.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.11). Western Union had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 50.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.37 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Western Union will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in Western Union during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in shares of Western Union by 179.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 2,146 shares in the last quarter. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 2nd quarter valued at $51,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 197.3% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,516 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 4,324 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Western Union during the 2nd quarter worth about $58,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Union Company Profile

Western Union Company NYSE: WU is a global provider of money movement and payment services. The company enables consumers and businesses to send and receive money across borders and within individual markets through digital platforms, mobile applications and a network of retail agent locations.

Its services include consumer money transfers, international remittances, bill payments and money orders. Customers can typically initiate transfers online, through the Western Union app or at participating retail locations, with recipients able to collect funds in cash or receive them through eligible bank accounts, digital wallets or other payment methods, depending on the destination market.

Western Union traces its origins to 1851, when it was established as a telegraph company in the United States.

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