Western Union (NYSE:WU) Hits New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $7.05 and last traded at $7.0740, with a volume of 9724039 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.12.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $8.82.

Western Union Trading Down 0.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $8.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.46.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.15). The business had revenue of $963.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 55.94% and a net margin of 10.88%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 value of $183,898.52. Following the sale, the insider owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at $2,166,179.47. The trade was a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total transaction of $56,820.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 311,292 shares in the company, valued at $2,947,935.24. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. RiverFront Investment Group LLC grew its stake in 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 worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 1,278 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings 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 valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,336 shares in the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of Western Union by 16.0% in 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 period. Kestra Investment Management LLC increased its stake 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 worth $2,229,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFG Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

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.