The Western Union Company $WU Shares Sold by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Bank of New York Mellon Corp lowered its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 4.0% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,949,216 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 247,365 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in Western Union were worth $50,092,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Western Union by 0.5% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 779,770 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $8,250,000 after buying an additional 3,558 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 405,839 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,294,000 after acquiring an additional 1,262 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 47.6% in the 1st quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 71,424 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $756,000 after acquiring an additional 23,041 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 75,490 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $799,000 after purchasing an additional 2,695 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 186.3% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 148,890 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,575,000 after purchasing an additional 96,894 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In related news, CFO Matthew Cagwin acquired 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.36 per share, with a total value of $146,300.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 225,611 shares in the company, valued at $1,886,107.96. This trade represents a 8.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Devin Mcgranahan bought 176,470 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The stock was bought at an average price of $8.49 per share, with a total value of $1,498,230.30. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 913,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,752,431.25. This represents a 23.96% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 1.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Western Union Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE WU opened at $8.91 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.83 billion, a PE ratio of 3.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $8.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.72. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $7.85 and a 52 week high of $11.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80.

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

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on WU shares. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Western Union from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Western Union from $8.50 to $9.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Western Union from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Barclays set a $8.00 target price on Western Union and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.70.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company provides money movement and payment services worldwide. The company operates through Consumer Money Transfer and Consumer Services segments. The Consumer Money Transfer segment facilitates money transfers for international cross-border and intra-country transfers, primarily through a network of retail agent locations, as well as through websites and mobile devices.