The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and seven have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $8.8182.

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In related news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total value of $183,898.52. Following the sale, the insider directly 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the insider directly owned 311,292 shares in the company, valued at $2,947,935.24. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WU. RiverFront Investment Group LLC boosted its position in Western Union by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 28,662 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 1,278 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Western Union by 67.0% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,331 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,336 shares during the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors boosted its position in Western Union by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors now owns 9,992 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 1,381 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Western Union by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 239,428 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Michels Family Financial LLC boosted its position in Western Union by 3.2% during the third quarter. Michels Family Financial LLC now owns 46,722 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,436 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

WU stock opened at $7.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $8.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.06. Western Union has a fifty-two week low of $7.09 and a fifty-two week high of $10.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.23 billion, a PE ratio of 5.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.46.

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

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 13.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s payout ratio is currently 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.