The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the fourteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and ten have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $8.70.

WU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research raised Western Union from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Western Union from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Western Union from $8.50 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Western Union to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In other Western Union news, insider Giovanni Angelini acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $8.95 per share, with a total value of $89,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 186,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. 1.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in shares of Western Union by 606.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 2,803 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Western Union by 260.7% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,593 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 2,597 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in Western Union during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Western Union by 667.0% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,602 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 4,002 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caldwell Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Western Union in the second quarter worth approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

NYSE:WU opened at $9.31 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.07, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.52. The business has a 50 day moving average of $9.02 and a 200 day moving average of $8.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. Western Union has a 1-year low of $7.85 and a 1-year high of $11.94.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.04. Western Union had a net margin of 18.80% and a return on equity of 60.85%. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Western Union will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.1%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.05%.

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.