Western Union (NYSE:WU) Sets New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $7.44 and last traded at $7.4150, with a volume of 3828122 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.71.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.82.

Western Union Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a PE ratio of 5.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.46. The business’s fifty day moving average is $8.73 and its 200-day moving average is $9.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.15). Western Union had a return on equity of 55.94% and a net margin of 10.88%.The firm had revenue of $963.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.41 EPS. Western Union’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.6%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.12%.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In related news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 234,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,166,179.47. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the firm’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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,947,935.24. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Western Union by 11,759.8% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,954,045 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $74,052,000 after buying an additional 7,886,978 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Western Union by 53.0% during the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 2,399,631 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $19,173,000 after buying an additional 831,245 shares during the period. Cambria Investment Management L.P. boosted its stake in Western Union by 19.9% during the third quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. now owns 869,949 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $6,951,000 after buying an additional 144,405 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its stake in Western Union by 28.0% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 16,948,328 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $135,417,000 after buying an additional 3,708,291 shares during the period. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Western Union by 143.1% during the third quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 882,399 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $7,050,000 after buying an additional 519,427 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Western Union

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.