Brokerages Set The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Price Target at $12.86

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" by the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $12.86.

A number of analysts have weighed in on WU shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group dropped 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 note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th.

Western Union Stock Performance

WU stock traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $10.73. 3,664,779 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,117,855. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.06. Western Union has a 1-year low of $10.51 and a 1-year high of $14.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.62 billion, a PE ratio of 5.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.87.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.43 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Western Union will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in Western Union during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 895 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union in the first quarter worth $37,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 89.3% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,226 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 59.9% in the first quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,292 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,233 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.