The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Receives $8.55 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) has been given an average recommendation of “Reduce” by the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $8.45.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings lowered Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Western Union in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $7.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Western Union from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In other Western Union news, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the insider directly owned 311,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,947,935.24. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total value of $183,898.52. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at $2,166,179.47. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in Western Union by 606.7% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 2,803 shares during the last quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 1,546.5% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 3,326 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 3,124 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 67.0% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 179.6% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,341 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 2,146 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Performance

Western Union stock opened at $8.88 on Tuesday. Western Union has a fifty-two week low of $6.91 and a fifty-two week high of $10.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $7.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.84.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its 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 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 the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. The firm’s 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Western Union will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.