D.A. Davidson & CO. Purchases 122,491 Shares of The Western Union Company $WU

D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 160.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 199,015 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 122,491 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Western Union were worth $1,737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WU. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its position in Western Union by 606.7% in 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 during the period. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new position in shares of Western Union during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its position in shares of Western Union by 1,546.5% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 3,326 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 3,124 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 67.0% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,331 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,336 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 179.6% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,341 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 2,146 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total transaction of $56,820.00. Following 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 document filed 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 stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total value of $183,898.52. Following the sale, the insider owned 234,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,166,179.47. This represents a 7.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 3.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WU has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Western Union in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $7.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $8.45.

Western Union Price Performance

WU opened at $8.46 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $7.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.82. The Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $6.91 and a 1 year 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.64 billion, a PE ratio of 6.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.46.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.15). Western Union had a net margin of 10.88% and a return on equity of 55.94%. The firm had revenue of $963.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.12%.

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.