The Western Union Company $WU Shares Sold by Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.

Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,025,000 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 250,000 shares during the period. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Western Union were worth $8,190,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tred Avon Family Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union during the third quarter worth $504,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth $1,018,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in Western Union by 649.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,462 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Silverlake Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Western Union by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. Silverlake Wealth Management LLC now owns 68,913 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $551,000 after purchasing an additional 8,474 shares during the period. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 249,091 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,989,000 after buying an additional 12,250 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of Western Union stock opened at $9.26 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $7.85 and a 52 week high of $11.94. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $9.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.51.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 18.80% and a return on equity of 60.85%. The company’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.46 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.2%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.05%.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In other news, insider Giovanni Angelini bought 10,000 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $8.95 per share, with a total value of $89,500.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 186,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,673,041.40. This trade represents a 5.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WU. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Western Union from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Western Union from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $8.50 to $9.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Western Union presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.80.

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.