82,027 Shares in The Western Union Company $WU Purchased by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 82,027 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $632,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RiverFront Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 28,662 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 1,278 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 67.0% during 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. Kestra Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Western Union by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 239,428 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC boosted its stake in Western Union by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 23,382 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 1,454 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Western Union by 23.2% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,020 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 1,509 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $8.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Western Union from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Barclays dropped 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, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and eight have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Western Union presently has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and an average price target of $7.55.

Western Union Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE WU opened at $7.19 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $6.27 and a 52 week high of $10.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.85 and a beta of 0.50. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $7.61 and its 200 day moving average is $8.32.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly 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). Western Union had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 50.89%. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.37 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is 76.42%.

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.