Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Acquires 144,193 Shares of The Western Union Company $WU

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 72.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 344,452 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 144,193 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Western Union were worth $3,207,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WU. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 7,886,978 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 3,717,589 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 3,708,291 shares in the last quarter. Meridiem Capital Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 190.7% during the third quarter. Meridiem Capital Partners LP now owns 4,545,827 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $36,321,000 after purchasing an additional 2,982,044 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 128.4% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 4,900,542 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,155,000 after purchasing an additional 2,754,827 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Down 1.4%

WU stock opened at $8.39 on Friday. The Western Union Company has a fifty-two week low of $7.85 and a fifty-two week high of $10.35. The business’s 50-day moving average is $8.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $2.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.50.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $963.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 10.88% and a return on equity of 55.94%. The firm’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.41 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.2%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Cantor Fitzgerald raised Western Union to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.82.

Insider Transactions at Western Union

In other Western Union news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total value 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 represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total value of $56,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 311,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,947,935.24. The trade was 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. Corporate insiders own 3.29% 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.