Western Union (NYSE:WU) Stock Price Target Lowered at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan lowered Western Union’s price target from $8.00 to $7.00 while maintaining an “underweight” rating, implying 17.35% potential upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains negative: Western Union has an average “Reduce” rating and a consensus price target of $7.18, with recent downgrades from Morgan Stanley, Barclays, and Weiss Ratings.
• Shares fell 2.2% to $5.96, near the 52-week low, after the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.31—below the $0.42 consensus estimate—and revenue declined 1.3% year over year.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $8.00 to $7.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "underweight" rating on the credit services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price suggests a potential upside of 17.35% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. New Street Research restated a "reduce" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Wolfe Research reissued an "underperform" rating and set a $8.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Western Union from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays reduced their target price on Western Union from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Western Union from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and seven have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Western Union currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $7.18.

Western Union Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of WU stock traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $5.96. 2,804,801 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,011,994. Western Union has a fifty-two week low of $5.87 and a fifty-two week high of $10.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.87 and a beta of 0.51. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $6.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.73.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.11). Western Union had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 50.89%. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.37 EPS. Western Union's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. Research analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WU. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new position in Western Union during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position 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 buying an additional 2,146 shares during the last quarter. Nykredit A S purchased a new position in shares of Western Union in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 4,324 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Western Union in the 2nd quarter valued at about $58,000. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

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 through digital platforms, retail locations and account-based services. Its offerings include domestic and international money transfers, bill payments, money orders and related payment solutions.

Western Union serves customers across a broad international network spanning more than 200 countries and territories. Consumers can access its services through the Western Union website and mobile application, as well as through a network of agent locations and other retail partners.

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