Insider Buying: Western Union (NYSE:WU) Insider Buys $89,500.00 in Stock

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) insider Giovanni Angelini bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $8.95 per share, for a total transaction of $89,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 186,932 shares in the company, valued at $1,673,041.40. The trade was a 5.65% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of Western Union stock opened at $8.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.12. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $8.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.71. The Western Union Company has a twelve month low of $7.85 and a twelve month high of $11.94. The firm has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.61.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 18.80% and a return on equity of 60.85%. Western Union’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.46 earnings per share. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is 41.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in shares of Western Union by 649.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,462 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Western Union by 260.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,593 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 2,597 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Western Union by 464.3% in the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 3,397 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,795 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Western Union by 667.0% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,602 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 4,002 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new position in Western Union in the 2nd quarter valued at $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on WU shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $10.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Zacks Research raised Western Union from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Western Union from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Citigroup raised shares of Western Union to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt dropped their price target on Western Union from $7.50 to $7.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.70.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company provides money movement and payment services worldwide. The company operates through Consumer Money Transfer and Consumer Services segments. The Consumer Money Transfer segment facilitates money transfers for international cross-border and intra-country transfers, primarily through a network of retail agent locations, as well as through websites and mobile devices.