Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Acquires Shares of 1,460,730 The Western Union Company $WU

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,460,730 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $11,248,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned 0.47% of Western Union at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 43.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,838,382 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $33,509,000 after purchasing an additional 1,163,577 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 52.6% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 520,779 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,547,000 after purchasing an additional 179,423 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Western Union by 28.5% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,922,728 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $16,785,000 after purchasing an additional 426,939 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in Western Union by 35.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,407,960 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $96,898,000 after buying an additional 2,716,385 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Western Union by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,471,400 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $320,929,000 after buying an additional 1,171,810 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

WU stock opened at $7.27 on Thursday. The Western Union Company has a 1-year low of $6.27 and a 1-year high of $10.35. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $7.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.45. The company has a market capitalization of $2.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.91 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

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 return on equity of 50.89% and a net margin of 9.79%.The business had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.37 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on WU. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Western Union from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 13th. New Street Research reaffirmed a “reduce” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $8.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and eight have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Western Union currently has an average rating of “Strong Sell” and an average price target of $7.55.

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.