The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Acquires New Position in The Western Union Company $WU

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 82,027 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $632,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Western Union in the first quarter worth $30,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Western Union by 67.0% during 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. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 2,146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Western Union in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WU has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Western Union from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $6.00 target price on shares of Western Union in a report on Friday, July 31st. New Street Research reissued a “reduce” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Wolfe Research restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $8.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and eight have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and an average price target of $7.55.

Western Union Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of WU stock opened at $7.19 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $7.61 and its 200-day moving average is $8.32. The stock has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.85 and a beta of 0.50. The Western Union Company has a 52-week low of $6.27 and a 52-week high of $10.35.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 50.89% and a net margin of 9.79%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.1%. Western Union’s payout ratio is presently 76.42%.

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.