The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Receives Average Recommendation of "Reduce" from Analysts

Key Points

• Western Union has received an average recommendation of "Reduce" from twelve brokerages, with five analysts issuing sell ratings and seven granting hold ratings.
• The company's stock recently has a target price of $8.6111 and was reported at $8.4850 per share.
• CFO Matthew Cagwin purchased 17,500 shares at an average cost of $8.36, increasing his ownership by 8.41%, with insiders owning 1.58% of the stock.

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the twelve brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $8.6111.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WU shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $10.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Western Union in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $7.50 to $7.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In other news, CFO Matthew Cagwin purchased 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,886,107.96. This trade represents a 8.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in Western Union during the second quarter worth about $253,000. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Western Union during the second quarter worth about $183,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in Western Union by 1.1% during the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 292,541 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,466,000 after buying an additional 3,140 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Western Union by 11.4% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 45,548 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $383,000 after buying an additional 4,645 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optimist Retirement Group LLC increased its holdings in Western Union by 955.1% during the second quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 228,290 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,922,000 after buying an additional 206,654 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE WU opened at $8.4850 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.74 billion, a PE ratio of 3.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.61. Western Union has a 12-month low of $7.89 and a 12-month high of $12.40. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $8.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.02). Western Union had a return on equity of 66.11% and a net margin of 21.83%.The company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.44 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Western Union will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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