Great Lakes Advisors LLC Invests $1.10 Million in The Western Union Company $WU

Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 143,164 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,102,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 43.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,838,382 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $33,509,000 after buying an additional 1,163,577 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Western Union by 52.6% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 520,779 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,547,000 after acquiring an additional 179,423 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Western Union by 28.5% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,922,728 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $16,785,000 after acquiring an additional 426,939 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in Western Union by 35.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,407,960 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $96,898,000 after acquiring an additional 2,716,385 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Western Union by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,471,400 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $320,929,000 after acquiring an additional 1,171,810 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Union Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:WU opened at $7.31 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95. The Western Union Company has a 12 month low of $6.27 and a 12 month high of $10.35. The company has a market cap of $2.28 billion, a PE ratio of 5.94 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.51.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 50.89%. Western Union’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is 76.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on WU. Citigroup cut their target price on Western Union from $8.50 to $7.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $8.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a report on Friday, July 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $6.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays dropped their price objective on Western Union from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Western Union from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and eight have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and a consensus price target of $7.55.

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.