The Western Union Company $WU Stake Increased by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 124.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 544,995 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 301,984 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Western Union were worth $4,196,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Western Union in the 2nd quarter worth about $241,806,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in Western Union by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,984,472 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $130,195,000 after acquiring an additional 580,264 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Western Union by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,081,062 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $121,785,000 after purchasing an additional 624,397 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Western Union by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 10,746,779 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $99,891,000 after purchasing an additional 962,341 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 35.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,407,960 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $96,898,000 after purchasing an additional 2,716,385 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:WU opened at $6.93 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 0.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $7.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $6.27 and a 52 week high of $10.35.

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

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.6%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on WU shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Western Union from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. New Street Research reiterated a “reduce” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective on Western Union from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and eight have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and an average price target of $7.55.

Western Union 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.