Evercore ISI Raises Western Union (NYSE:WU) Price Target to $15.00

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its target price upped by research analysts at Evercore ISI from $14.00 to $15.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “in-line” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. Evercore ISI’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 13.55% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on WU. Monness Crespi & Hardt began coverage on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.35.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $13.21. 2,122,852 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,398,519. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $13.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.61. The company has a market capitalization of $4.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.79, a PEG ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.23, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Western Union has a twelve month low of $10.37 and a twelve month high of $14.19.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 14.37% and a return on equity of 113.63%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Western Union will post 1.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Western Union

In other news, Director Timothy P. Murphy acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $12.85 per share, with a total value of $128,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 56,205 shares in the company, valued at $722,234.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Western Union by 1.4% during the third quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 56,476 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $744,000 after buying an additional 791 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 169,552 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,235,000 after buying an additional 842 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in Western Union by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 197,250 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,600,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 44,100 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $526,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its position in Western Union by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 32,277 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.