Optimist Retirement Group LLC Sells 72,161 Shares of The Western Union Company $WU

Optimist Retirement Group LLC trimmed its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 25.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 212,372 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 72,161 shares during the period. Optimist Retirement Group LLC owned 0.07% of Western Union worth $1,977,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WU. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 239,428 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,229,000 after buying an additional 1,398 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 908,756 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,461,000 after buying an additional 275,283 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 76.0% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 29,787 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $277,000 after buying an additional 12,865 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 9,733,727 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $90,621,000 after buying an additional 124,650 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 1,084.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 20,161 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $188,000 after buying an additional 18,459 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In related news, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total transaction of $56,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 311,292 shares in the company, valued at $2,947,935.24. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total transaction of $183,898.52. Following the transaction, the insider owned 234,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,166,179.47. The trade was a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on WU. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Western Union to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Friday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.82.

Western Union Price Performance

NYSE:WU opened at $8.23 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $2.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.05, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.50. The Western Union Company has a one year low of $7.85 and a one year high of $10.35. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $8.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $963.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 10.88% and a return on equity of 55.94%. Western Union’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.12%.

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.