Western Union (NYSE:WU) Price Target Cut to $8.50 by Analysts at Citigroup

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its price target decreased by Citigroup from $9.50 to $8.50 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. Citigroup currently has a neutral rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays began coverage on Western Union in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $7.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.45.

Western Union Trading Up 6.5%

WU opened at $8.88 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88. Western Union has a twelve month low of $6.91 and a twelve month high of $10.35. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.84.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.15). The business had revenue of $963.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 55.94% and a net margin of 10.88%.Western Union’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.41 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.6%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.12%.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In other Western Union news, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total value of $56,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 311,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,947,935.24. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total transaction of $183,898.52. Following the transaction, the insider owned 234,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,166,179.47. This represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 11,759.8% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,954,045 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $74,052,000 after acquiring an additional 7,886,978 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Western Union by 401.4% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,604,026 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $70,793,000 after acquiring an additional 6,087,613 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its holdings in Western Union by 821.1% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 4,170,343 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $35,114,000 after acquiring an additional 3,717,589 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 3,370.2% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,740,849 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $34,827,000 after purchasing an additional 3,633,049 shares during the period. Finally, UBS Group AG boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 128.4% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 4,900,542 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,155,000 after purchasing an additional 2,754,827 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Union Company Profile

Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments. The company enables individuals and businesses to send and receive money through a variety of channels, including its vast agent network, online platforms, and mobile applications. Core services include person-to-person money transfers, business-to-business cross-border payments, bill payment services and prepaid card programs.

Through its digital offerings, Western Union provides customers with the ability to initiate transfers via its website and mobile app, as well as track transactions in real time.