Western Union (NYSE:WU) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $7.24 and last traded at $7.2750, with a volume of 1944758 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $7.35.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Western Union from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.82.

Western Union Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $2.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $8.64 and a 200 day moving average of $9.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $963.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.41 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.8%. Western Union’s payout ratio is presently 69.12%.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In other news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider owned 234,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,166,179.47. This represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total value of $56,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 311,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,947,935.24. This 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. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in Western Union by 606.7% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,265 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 2,803 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in Western Union by 1,546.5% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 3,326 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 3,124 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Western Union by 67.0% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,331 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,336 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in Western Union by 179.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 2,146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in Western Union in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Company 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.