D.A. Davidson & CO. Grows Position in The Western Union Company $WU

D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 160.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 199,015 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 122,491 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. owned approximately 0.06% of Western Union worth $1,737,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 606.7% during 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 stake in shares of Western Union in the first quarter worth $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in Western Union by 1,546.5% during 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 increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted 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 period. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Western Union Stock Performance

NYSE WU opened at $8.46 on Wednesday. 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 Western Union Company has a 1-year low of $6.91 and a 1-year high of $10.35. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.64 billion, a PE ratio of 6.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.46.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its 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). 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 the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. The firm’s 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. On average, research analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.12%.

Insider Transactions at Western Union

In other Western Union news, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider directly owned 311,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,947,935.24. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 that occurred 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 in the company, 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.

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.