Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Acquires Shares of 124,476 The Western Union Company $WU

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 124,476 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $958,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. RiverFront Investment Group LLC grew its position in Western Union by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 28,662 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 1,278 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Western Union by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 239,428 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,229,000 after buying an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Western Union by 6.6% in the first quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 23,382 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 1,454 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 23.2% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,020 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 1,509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 14.4% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,970 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 1,629 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. New Street Research restated a “reduce” rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Western Union from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Western Union from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research cut Western Union from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and eight have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and an average price target of $7.55.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WU opened at $7.01 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.28. The Western Union Company has a 1-year low of $6.27 and a 1-year high of $10.35. The firm has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.70 and a beta of 0.50.

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

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. Western Union’s payout ratio is currently 76.42%.

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.