Western Union (NYSE:WU) Sets New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $10.75 and last traded at $10.80, with a volume of 4401054 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.22.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WU shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $12.86.

Western Union Trading Down 3.4 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 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. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $11.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.33.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quarry LP grew its position in Western Union by 52.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,588 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 895 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Western Union by 89.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Western Union by 59.9% in the 1st quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,292 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Western Union by 1,189.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 7,854 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 7,245 shares in the last quarter. 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.