Lazard Asset Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company $WU

Lazard Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 30.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 288,771 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 128,286 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $2,521,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WU. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 35.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,407,960 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $96,898,000 after acquiring an additional 2,716,385 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 52.6% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 520,779 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,547,000 after purchasing an additional 179,423 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Western Union by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,471,400 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $320,929,000 after purchasing an additional 1,171,810 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in Western Union by 221.6% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 520,789 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,851,000 after buying an additional 358,877 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in Western Union by 72.0% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 344,452 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $3,207,000 after buying an additional 144,193 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald 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 Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings lowered Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Western Union from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and seven have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and an average price target of $7.77.

Western Union News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Western Union this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management is targeting $50 million in annualized cost reductions by year-end, while continued growth in digital services and artificial intelligence initiatives could support profitability. Consumer Services revenue increased 4% and Branded Digital revenue rose 7%, with digital transactions up 25%. Western Union targets $50 million cost reduction and guides 2026 adjusted EPS
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy options activity saw investors acquire 37,963 call options, about 764% above average volume. The activity may signal speculative interest or expectations of a rebound, but it does not necessarily indicate sustained buying demand for the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Western Union continues working with regulators on its planned Intermex acquisition. However, the transaction’s delay has postponed expected synergies and leaves the deal’s timing uncertain. Western Union pursues AI savings as falling migration hits revenue
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted EPS was $0.31, below the $0.43 analyst consensus, while revenue of approximately $1.01 billion also fell short of estimates. Revenue declined about 1% year over year, net income dropped 37%, and operating margin narrowed to 13% from 19%. Consumer Money Transfer revenue fell 2%, reflecting weakness in the Americas retail business. Western Union reports second quarter 2026 results
• Negative Sentiment: Western Union lowered its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $1.25–$1.35, well below the roughly $1.75 consensus estimate. Revenue guidance of $4.2–$4.3 billion also indicates limited growth, increasing concerns about the company’s recovery prospects.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut their price targets: Susquehanna reduced its target from $10 to $8 and RBC lowered its target from $9 to $8. Both firms retained neutral or sector-perform ratings, signaling limited conviction despite the targets remaining above the current trading level.

Western Union Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of WU opened at $6.36 on Monday. The Western Union Company has a 1-year low of $6.27 and a 1-year high of $10.35. The company has a 50-day moving average of $7.80 and a 200 day moving average of $8.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.17, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.11). 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 50.89% and a net margin of 9.79%.Western Union’s revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.37 earnings per share. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.8%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is 76.42%.

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.