Western Union (NYSE:WU) Rating Increased to Strong Sell at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of Western Union (NYSE:WU) to a strong sell rating in a report published on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.73.

Western Union Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE WU opened at $7.84 on Tuesday. Western Union has a 52-week low of $6.91 and a 52-week high of $10.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $7.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.88. The firm has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.77, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.46. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.41 EPS. Western Union’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Research analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.0%. Western Union’s payout ratio is 69.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction 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 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 3.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of 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. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Western Union by 401.4% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,604,026 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $70,793,000 after acquiring an additional 6,087,613 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its stake in Western Union by 821.1% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 4,170,343 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $35,114,000 after acquiring an additional 3,717,589 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in Western Union by 3,370.2% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,740,849 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $34,827,000 after acquiring an additional 3,633,049 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meridiem Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in Western Union by 190.7% during the 3rd quarter. Meridiem Capital Partners LP now owns 4,545,827 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $36,321,000 after acquiring an additional 2,982,044 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.