Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC Purchases New Stake in The Western Union Company $WU

Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 63,428 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $554,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 606.7% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 2,803 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 1,546.5% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 3,326 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 3,124 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Western Union by 67.0% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,331 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,336 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in shares of Western Union by 179.6% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,341 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 2,146 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Western Union by 164.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,581 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 2,229 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Western Union presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.82.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $8.01 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $8.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.46. 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 Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $6.91 and a 1 year high of $10.35.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $963.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.41 earnings per share. The firm’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. As a group, research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In other Western Union news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at $2,166,179.47. The trade was a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total value of $56,820.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 311,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,947,935.24. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their position. 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. 3.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.