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

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $10.69 and last traded at $10.72, with a volume of 2762128 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $10.84.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WU has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.86.

Western Union Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $11.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.24. The company has a market capitalization of $3.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WU. Quest Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Western Union by 74.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 58,838 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $702,000 after buying an additional 25,159 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Western Union by 52.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,433 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $184,000 after acquiring an additional 5,292 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the 3rd quarter valued at $132,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Western Union in the 3rd quarter valued at $120,000. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 13,177 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,508 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

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.