The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) has earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $8.8182.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on WU shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Western Union to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th.

Western Union Price Performance

Western Union stock opened at $9.54 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.00, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.02. Western Union has a 12 month low of $7.85 and a 12 month high of $10.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.99 billion, a PE ratio of 6.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.51.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.04 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 12.33% and a return on equity of 62.01%. Western Union’s revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.40 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.9%. Western Union’s payout ratio is currently 61.84%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WU. RiverFront Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,278 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,336 shares in the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors now owns 9,992 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 1,381 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Michels Family Financial LLC lifted its stake in Western Union by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Michels Family Financial LLC now owns 46,722 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 1,436 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.