Susquehanna Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Western Union (NYSE:WU) Stock Price

Western Union (NYSE:WU) had its target price cut by Susquehanna from $13.00 to $12.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. Susquehanna’s price target points to a potential upside of 7.09% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on WU. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Western Union currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.20.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of WU opened at $11.21 on Wednesday. Western Union has a 52 week low of $10.04 and a 52 week high of $14.19. 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 firm has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.75, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $10.61 and a 200-day moving average of $11.27.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a return on equity of 120.39% and a net margin of 16.07%. As a group, analysts forecast that Western Union will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Western Union announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Friday, December 13th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the credit services provider to reacquire up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,926,192 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $154,209,000 after purchasing an additional 52,081 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Western Union by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,489,079 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $132,384,000 after buying an additional 549,931 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,179,698 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $85,671,000 after acquiring an additional 25,458 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 41.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,305,933 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $66,843,000 after acquiring an additional 1,857,012 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,880,800 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $22,438,000 after acquiring an additional 84,579 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.