Western Union (NYSE:WU) Upgraded at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Western Union was upgraded by Weiss Ratings from a "sell (d+)" to a "hold (c-)" rating, indicating a more favorable assessment of the stock.
• According to MarketBeat.com, Western Union has an average rating of "Reduce" from analysts, with a consensus target price of $8.50.
• Insider buying activity has increased, with both the CFO and CEO purchasing significant shares of the company in August, reflecting confidence in the stock's future.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Weiss Ratings from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on WU. Zacks Research raised shares of Western Union to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Barclays set a $8.00 price target on shares of Western Union and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $8.50.

Western Union Stock Performance

WU stock traded down $0.07 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $8.11. The company had a trading volume of 3,023,368 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,906,456. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.15. Western Union has a twelve month low of $7.85 and a twelve month high of $12.02. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.98. The company has a market cap of $2.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.61.

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

Insider Activity at Western Union

In related news, CFO Matthew Cagwin purchased 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.36 per share, with a total value of $146,300.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 225,611 shares in the company, valued at $1,886,107.96. This trade represents a 8.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Devin Mcgranahan purchased 176,470 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.49 per share, with a total value of $1,498,230.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 913,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WU. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Western Union by 2,948.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 40,236 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $426,000 after acquiring an additional 38,916 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Western Union by 80.2% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,264 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,453 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Western Union by 84.4% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 32,534 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $343,000 after acquiring an additional 14,890 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Western Union in the first quarter worth $665,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Western Union in the first quarter worth $1,018,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Western Union Company Profile

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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