The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) has earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and nine have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $8.8182.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Friday, May 22nd.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In other Western Union news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total value of $183,898.52. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,166,179.47. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their position. The sale 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 Western Union stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total value of $56,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 311,292 shares in the company, valued at $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 Trading of Western Union

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ritter Alpha LP purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union in the first quarter valued at approximately $248,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 43.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,838,382 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $33,509,000 after buying an additional 1,163,577 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union in the first quarter valued at approximately $398,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union in the first quarter valued at approximately $89,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 1,179.5% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 576,465 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $5,033,000 after buying an additional 531,412 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Union Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of WU stock opened at $8.14 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $8.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.18. Western Union has a twelve month low of $7.85 and a twelve month high of $10.35. The company has a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 10.88% and a return on equity of 55.94%. The company had revenue of $963.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.41 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Western Union will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.