Western Union (NYSE:WU) Raised to Strong Sell at Cantor Fitzgerald

Western Union (NYSE:WU) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Citigroup raised shares of Western Union to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Western Union from $8.50 to $9.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Western Union currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.82.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of WU opened at $9.38 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 4.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.51. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $9.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.72. Western Union has a twelve month low of $7.85 and a twelve month high of $11.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Giovanni Angelini purchased 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $8.95 per share, with a total value of $89,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 186,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,673,041.40. This represents a 5.65% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WU. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in Western Union by 606.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 2,803 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Western Union by 260.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,593 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 2,597 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its stake in shares of Western Union by 1,546.5% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 3,326 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 3,124 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Western Union by 164.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,581 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Western Union during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

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.