UBS Group AG Has $47.81 Million Holdings in The Western Union Company $WU

UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 5,135,424 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 234,882 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Western Union were worth $47,811,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,471,400 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $320,929,000 after purchasing an additional 1,171,810 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its position in Western Union by 28.0% in the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 16,948,328 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $135,417,000 after buying an additional 3,708,291 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Western Union by 11,759.8% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,954,045 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $74,052,000 after acquiring an additional 7,886,978 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Western Union by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,786,647 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $54,225,000 after acquiring an additional 1,656,295 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in Western Union by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 6,329,626 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $50,574,000 after acquiring an additional 2,140,167 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Western Union to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.82.

Insider Transactions at Western Union

In related news, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total transaction of $56,820.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 311,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,947,935.24. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total transaction of $183,898.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at $2,166,179.47. This represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

NYSE WU opened at $9.00 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88. The company’s 50 day moving average is $9.23 and its 200-day moving average is $9.22. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $7.85 and a 12-month high of $10.35.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.15). Western Union had a return on equity of 55.94% and a net margin of 10.88%.The company had revenue of $963.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. Western Union’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.5%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.12%.

About Western Union

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.