Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 2,506,856 Shares of The Western Union Company $WU

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,299,590 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 2,506,856 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 10.48% of Western Union worth $266,064,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in Western Union by 649.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,462 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 260.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,593 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 2,597 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 667.0% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,602 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 4,002 shares in the last quarter. Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new stake in Western Union in the second quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WU has been the subject of several recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Western Union to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group upped their target price on Western Union from $8.50 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Susquehanna increased their target price on Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.82.

Western Union Price Performance

NYSE WU opened at $9.60 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.00. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $7.85 and a 12-month high of $11.94.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.02. Western Union had a return on equity of 62.01% and a net margin of 12.33%.The firm had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.40 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.8%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is 61.84%.

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.