Western Union (NYSE:WU) Upgraded by Zacks Research to "Hold" Rating

Key Points

• Western Union's rating was upgraded by Zacks Research from "strong sell" to "hold," indicating a change in outlook for the stock.
• Several analysts have reduced their target prices for Western Union, with the consensus target now set at $8.50.
• Western Union reported Q2 earnings per share of $0.42, missing estimates, and projected FY 2025 guidance ranging between $1.650 and $1.750 EPS.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Western Union's Q1 2027 earnings at $0.46 EPS.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Susquehanna cut their price objective 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. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.50 to $8.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Western Union in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "hold" rating and a $9.00 price target on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Western Union has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $8.50.

Western Union Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE WU opened at $8.10 on Tuesday. Western Union has a twelve month low of $7.85 and a twelve month high of $12.02. The firm has a market cap of $2.62 billion, a PE ratio of 3.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.97. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.44 earnings per share. The business'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. Analysts expect that Western Union will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In related news, CFO Matthew Cagwin bought 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The shares were 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 approximately $1,886,107.96. The trade was a 8.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Devin Mcgranahan purchased 176,470 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was 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 directly owned 913,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,752,431.25. This trade represents a 23.96% increase in their position. 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

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WU. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Western Union by 2,948.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 40,236 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $426,000 after acquiring an additional 38,916 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Western Union by 80.2% in the 1st 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 increased its holdings in Western Union by 84.4% in the 1st 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 acquired a new position in Western Union during the first quarter worth $665,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Western Union during the first quarter valued at $1,018,000. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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