Navellier & Associates Inc. Buys New Stake in The Western Union Company $WU

Navellier & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 76,414 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $588,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. RiverFront Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 28,662 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $267,000 after buying an additional 1,278 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Western Union by 67.0% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,331 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,336 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Western Union by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 239,428 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,229,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Western Union by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 23,382 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $204,000 after acquiring an additional 1,454 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Western Union by 23.2% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,020 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 1,509 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $7.24 on Friday. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $6.27 and a 52 week high of $10.35. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $2.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 0.47. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $7.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.42.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released 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). Western Union had a return on equity of 50.89% and a net margin of 9.79%.The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. The firm’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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be paid 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 13.0%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $8.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $6.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and eight have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and an average target price of $7.55.

Western Union 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.