Western Union (NYSE:WU) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.12 EPS

Western Union (NYSE:WU) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The credit services provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.12), FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 55.94% and a net margin of 10.88%.During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. Western Union updated its FY 2026 guidance to 1.250-1.350 EPS.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $7.70. The stock had a trading volume of 21,098,456 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,690,704. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $7.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.77. Western Union has a fifty-two week low of $6.91 and a fifty-two week high of $10.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.66, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s payout ratio is 69.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Western Union news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of Western Union 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WU. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Western Union during the fourth quarter worth approximately $451,000. Compound Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $161,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 45,641 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $425,000 after buying an additional 17,928 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 177,765 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,655,000 after buying an additional 9,017 shares during the period. Finally, Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC grew its stake in Western Union by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 112,951 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,052,000 after acquiring an additional 4,533 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Western Union from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Western Union in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $7.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Western Union presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $8.64.

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.