Western Union (NYSE:WU) Sets New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $7.44 and last traded at $7.4150, with a volume of 3828122 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.71.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.82.

Western Union Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88. The company has a market capitalization of $2.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.46. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $8.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.15.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $963.50 million for 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 business’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.6%. Western Union’s payout ratio is currently 69.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In other news, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 311,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,947,935.24. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 234,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,166,179.47. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WU. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Western Union by 11,759.8% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,954,045 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $74,052,000 after buying an additional 7,886,978 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Western Union by 401.4% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,604,026 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $70,793,000 after buying an additional 6,087,613 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its position in shares of Western Union by 821.1% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 4,170,343 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $35,114,000 after buying an additional 3,717,589 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its position in shares of Western Union by 28.0% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 16,948,328 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $135,417,000 after buying an additional 3,708,291 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Western Union by 3,370.2% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,740,849 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $34,827,000 after buying an additional 3,633,049 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.