Geode Capital Management LLC Sells 533,592 Shares of The Western Union Company $WU

by · The Cerbat Gem

Geode Capital Management LLC reduced its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WUFree Report) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,680,465 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 533,592 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Western Union were worth $71,517,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Western Union by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,471,400 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $320,929,000 after purchasing an additional 1,171,810 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its stake in Western Union by 28.0% during the 3rd 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. LSV Asset Management increased its stake in Western Union by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 9,733,727 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $90,621,000 after purchasing an additional 124,650 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Western Union by 11,759.8% during the 4th 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. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Western Union by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,786,647 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $54,225,000 after purchasing an additional 1,656,295 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU stock opened at $7.35 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $8.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.13. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $7.25 and a 52 week high of $10.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a PE ratio of 5.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.46. 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:WUGet Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.15). The business had revenue of $963.50 million for 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 business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last 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, equities research analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Read Our Latest Analysis on WU

Insider Activity at Western Union

In related news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the business’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 transaction of $183,898.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,166,179.47. The trade was a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the business’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 transaction of $56,820.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 311,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,947,935.24. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders own 3.29% of the company’s stock.

About Western Union

(Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

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