Barclays Has Lowered Expectations for Western Union (NYSE:WU) Stock Price

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at Barclays from $11.00 to $10.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "underweight" rating on the credit services provider's stock. Barclays's price objective points to a potential downside of 7.06% from the company's current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $12.63.

Western Union Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of Western Union stock traded down $0.14 on Friday, reaching $10.76. 3,365,730 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,946,479. The company has a market capitalization of $3.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.52, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96. Western Union has a one year low of $10.51 and a one year high of $14.19. The company has a 50-day moving average of $11.10 and a 200 day moving average of $11.80.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.02. Western Union had a net margin of 16.07% and a return on equity of 120.39%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. Western Union's quarterly revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Western Union will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Friday, December 13th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the credit services provider to buy up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of WU. DGS Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Western Union by 6.8% during the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 27,044 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $323,000 after buying an additional 1,727 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Western Union by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,103,296 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $13,061,000 after acquiring an additional 81,343 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Western Union by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 88,410 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,055,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Western Union in the 3rd quarter valued at about $310,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 3rd quarter valued at about $381,000. Institutional investors 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.