Western Union (NYSE:WU) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $8.65 and traded as high as $9.79. Western Union shares last traded at $9.6850, with a volume of 6,615,513 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on WU. Zacks Research raised shares of Western Union from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Western Union to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised Western Union from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Western Union from $8.50 to $9.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.80.

Western Union Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a PE ratio of 4.23, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.65.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.04. Western Union had a net margin of 18.80% and a return on equity of 60.85%. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.7%. Western Union’s payout ratio is presently 41.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Giovanni Angelini purchased 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $8.95 per share, with a total value of $89,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 186,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,673,041.40. This represents a 5.65% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 28.0% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 16,948,328 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $135,417,000 after buying an additional 3,708,291 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Western Union by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,275,287 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $111,778,000 after acquiring an additional 58,070 shares during the last quarter. Discerene Group LP lifted its stake in shares of Western Union by 55.1% during the 2nd quarter. Discerene Group LP now owns 10,366,558 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $87,286,000 after purchasing an additional 3,684,366 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Western Union by 11,759.8% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,954,045 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $74,052,000 after purchasing an additional 7,886,978 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Western Union by 32.3% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,786,647 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $54,225,000 after purchasing an additional 1,656,295 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

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.