Hsbc Holdings PLC Boosts Stock Position in The Western Union Company $WU

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 221.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 520,789 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 358,877 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $4,851,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Western Union by 15.5% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 39,859 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $422,000 after acquiring an additional 5,351 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Western Union by 27.4% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,964,972 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $20,789,000 after purchasing an additional 422,715 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Western Union by 9.0% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,861,908 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $19,699,000 after purchasing an additional 154,110 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in Western Union by 93.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 27,535 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 13,302 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Western Union by 24.7% during the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 36,874 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 7,314 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Union Trading Up 3.7%

NYSE:WU opened at $7.53 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a PE ratio of 5.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.46. The Western Union Company has a 52-week low of $6.91 and a 52-week high of $10.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $8.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.99. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $963.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 10.88% and a return on equity of 55.94%. Western Union’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.41 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.5%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.82.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Western Union news, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider directly 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 Western Union stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total transaction of $183,898.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,166,179.47. This represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.