JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for Western Union (NYSE:WU) Stock Price

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered its price target on Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and maintained an underweight rating, implying only modest upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment on Western Union remains cautious overall, with the stock carrying a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.55. Barclays also recently initiated coverage with an underweight rating and a $7.00 target.
• Western Union reported a weaker-than-expected quarter, missing estimates on both EPS and revenue. The stock opened at $7.83, near its 50-day moving average, while insiders recently sold shares and institutional ownership remains high at 91.81%.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $9.00 to $8.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "underweight" rating on the credit services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price would indicate a potential upside of 2.11% from the stock's previous close.

WU has been the topic of several other reports. Barclays started coverage on Western Union in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $7.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered Western Union from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $8.55.

Western Union Price Performance

NYSE:WU opened at $7.83 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Western Union has a one year low of $6.91 and a one year high of $10.35. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $7.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.87. The stock has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.76, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.46.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $963.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 55.94% and a net margin of 10.88%.The business's revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Western Union will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Western Union

In related news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total transaction of $183,898.52. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at $2,166,179.47. This represents a 7.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total value of $56,820.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 311,292 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,947,935.24. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. RiverFront Investment Group LLC lifted its position in Western Union by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 28,662 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $267,000 after buying an additional 1,278 shares in the last quarter. 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 in the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 16.0% in the fourth quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors now owns 9,992 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $93,000 after acquiring an additional 1,381 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 239,428 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFG Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 6.6% during the first quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 23,382 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 1,454 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

About Western Union

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.

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