Optimist Retirement Group LLC Has $1.98 Million Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company $WU

Optimist Retirement Group LLC decreased its holdings in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 25.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 212,372 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 72,161 shares during the quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $1,977,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kestra Investment Management LLC raised 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 valued at $2,229,000 after buying an additional 1,398 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 908,756 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $8,461,000 after buying an additional 275,283 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 76.0% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 29,787 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 12,865 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 9,733,727 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $90,621,000 after buying an additional 124,650 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 1,084.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 20,161 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $188,000 after buying an additional 18,459 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Western Union

In related news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total transaction of $183,898.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at $2,166,179.47. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total transaction of $56,820.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 311,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,947,935.24. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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.

Western Union Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of Western Union stock opened at $8.23 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.20. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $7.85 and a 12-month high of $10.35.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $963.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 55.94% and a net margin of 10.88%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.41 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.4%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Western Union to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.82.

Western Union 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.