The Western Union Company $WU Shares Bought by Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.

Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 30.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,300,000 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 300,000 shares during the period. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Western Union were worth $11,349,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. RiverFront Investment Group LLC raised its position in shares of Western Union by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 28,662 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 1,278 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position 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 buying an additional 1,336 shares during the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors lifted its position 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 buying an additional 1,381 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 239,428 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,229,000 after buying an additional 1,398 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFG Investments LLC raised its stake in Western Union by 6.6% during 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 in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In other news, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total transaction of $56,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 311,292 shares in the company, valued at $2,947,935.24. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total transaction of $183,898.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,166,179.47. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WU has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings cut Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Western Union in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $7.00 price target on the stock. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.55.

Western Union Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Western Union stock opened at $7.88 on Tuesday. The Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $6.91 and a 1 year high of $10.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $2.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.79, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s fifty day moving average is $7.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.86.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.15). Western Union had a net margin of 10.88% and a return on equity of 55.94%. The business had revenue of $963.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. Western Union’s quarterly revenue was down .1% 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 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.12%.

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.