Western Union (NYSE:WU) Stock Price Up 6.4% – What’s Next?

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)’s stock price shot up 6.4% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $8.85 and last traded at $8.8760. Approximately 11,042,208 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 29% from the average session volume of 8,531,990 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.34.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WU has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on Western Union in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $7.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Citigroup cut their price objective on Western Union from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.45.

Western Union Stock Up 6.9%

The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $7.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.84. The company has a market cap of $2.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.56, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.46.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued 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 previous year, the firm earned $0.41 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.75 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Western Union news, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the company’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 owned 311,292 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,947,935.24. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a 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 firm’s 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 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 3.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WU. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in Western Union by 606.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 2,803 shares in the last quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union in the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 3,124 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position 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 valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in Western Union by 179.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

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.