Citigroup Upgrades Western Union (NYSE:WU) to "Hold"

Key Points

• Citigroup upgraded Western Union to a "hold" rating, reflecting a more stable outlook after recent analysis adjustments.
• Western Union reported EPS of $0.47 for the quarter, exceeding consensus estimates by $0.04 despite a 0.3% decline in revenue year-over-year.
• Significant insider trading activity was noted, with the CFO and CEO acquiring shares, indicating their confidence in the company's future performance.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Citigroup to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Zacks Research raised Western Union from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $10.00 price objective on Western Union in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Western Union in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $9.00 price objective for the company. Barclays set a $8.00 price objective on Western Union and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Western Union from $10.50 to $8.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Western Union currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $8.55.

Western Union Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE:WU opened at $8.16 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.64 billion, a PE ratio of 3.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $8.31 and a 200-day moving average of $8.80. Western Union has a 52 week low of $7.85 and a 52 week high of $11.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 66.11% and a net margin of 21.83%.The business's revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. Analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Western Union news, CFO Matthew Cagwin bought 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $8.36 per share, with a total value of $146,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 225,611 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,886,107.96. This represents a 8.41% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Devin Mcgranahan bought 176,470 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $8.49 per share, with a total value of $1,498,230.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 913,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,752,431.25. This trade represents a 23.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 464.3% in the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 3,397 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 2,795 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 667.0% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,602 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 4,002 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 188.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 2,483 shares during the period. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the second quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 2,225.8% during the second quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,675 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 5,431 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company's stock.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company provides money movement and payment services worldwide. The company operates through Consumer Money Transfer and Consumer Services segments. The Consumer Money Transfer segment facilitates money transfers for international cross-border and intra-country transfers, primarily through a network of retail agent locations, as well as through websites and mobile devices.

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