Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company $WU

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 15.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 7,902,175 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,039,604 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Western Union were worth $68,989,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Western Union by 401.4% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,604,026 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $70,793,000 after buying an additional 6,087,613 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 821.1% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 4,170,343 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $35,114,000 after acquiring an additional 3,717,589 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 3,370.2% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,740,849 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $34,827,000 after acquiring an additional 3,633,049 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 128.4% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 4,900,542 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,155,000 after acquiring an additional 2,754,827 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 35.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,407,960 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $96,898,000 after acquiring an additional 2,716,385 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on WU. Monness Crespi & Hardt reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $6.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a research report on Friday. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Western Union from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Western Union from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Western Union from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and seven have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and an average price target of $7.77.

Western Union News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Western Union this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management is targeting $50 million in annualized cost reductions by year-end, while continued growth in digital services and artificial intelligence initiatives could support profitability. Consumer Services revenue increased 4% and Branded Digital revenue rose 7%, with digital transactions up 25%. Western Union targets $50 million cost reduction and guides 2026 adjusted EPS
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy options activity saw investors acquire 37,963 call options, about 764% above average volume. The activity may signal speculative interest or expectations of a rebound, but it does not necessarily indicate sustained buying demand for the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Western Union continues working with regulators on its planned Intermex acquisition. However, the transaction’s delay has postponed expected synergies and leaves the deal’s timing uncertain. Western Union pursues AI savings as falling migration hits revenue
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted EPS was $0.31, below the $0.43 analyst consensus, while revenue of approximately $1.01 billion also fell short of estimates. Revenue declined about 1% year over year, net income dropped 37%, and operating margin narrowed to 13% from 19%. Consumer Money Transfer revenue fell 2%, reflecting weakness in the Americas retail business. Western Union reports second quarter 2026 results
• Negative Sentiment: Western Union lowered its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $1.25–$1.35, well below the roughly $1.75 consensus estimate. Revenue guidance of $4.2–$4.3 billion also indicates limited growth, increasing concerns about the company’s recovery prospects.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut their price targets: Susquehanna reduced its target from $10 to $8 and RBC lowered its target from $9 to $8. Both firms retained neutral or sector-perform ratings, signaling limited conviction despite the targets remaining above the current trading level.

Western Union Trading Down 17.4%

Shares of WU opened at $6.36 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $7.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.74. The stock has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 5.17, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.46. The Western Union Company has a 12 month low of $6.27 and a 12 month high of $10.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 50.66%. Western Union’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.8%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.42%.

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.