Western Union (NYSE:WU) Trading Down 5.5% – What’s Next?

20 Feb 2026, 17:44 by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat Gem

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU – Get Free Report)’s share price dropped 5.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $8.90 and last traded at $8.9170. Approximately 5,680,265 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 32% from the average daily volume of 8,394,221 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.44.

Key Stories Impacting Western Union

Here are the key news stories impacting Western Union this week:

Positive Sentiment: Q4 adjusted EPS beat — Western Union reported $0.45 adjusted EPS versus ~$0.43 expected, driven by lower operating costs which helped margins. Western Union’s Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates on Lower Costs
Positive Sentiment: Revenue guidance lifted/above recent consensus — management set FY‑2026 revenue guidance of $4.2B–$4.4B, which is higher than some street estimates and signals management sees revenue stabilization over the year. Western Union Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results
Neutral Sentiment: Company emphasizes digital growth and cost control — management highlighted digital and branded-digital growth helping offset declines in legacy retail, a strategic note that may limit downside if digital adoption continues. The Western Union Company (WU) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Neutral Sentiment: Company provided full earnings materials (press release, slide deck, call transcript) for investors to review guidance detail and the management outlook. Press Release / Slide Deck
Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed estimates — Q4 revenue was roughly $1.0B versus consensus near $1.04B, a ~4–5% year-over-year decline, which was the primary driver of the negative market reaction. What’s Going On With Western Union Stock Today?
Negative Sentiment: Core Consumer Money Transfer weakness — the legacy retail/transfers business declined (~7% y/y in the quarter), highlighting competitive pressure from digital players and structural headwinds to the company’s largest segment. Does Western Union’s Earnings Beat Mean Its Transition Is Working?
Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and higher trading volume — shares are trading down with above‑average volume as investors digest the revenue miss and structural concerns despite the EPS beat. Western Union Stock Drops Amid Q4 Results

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WU has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Susquehanna upped their target price on Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Western Union to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Western Union to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.82.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Western Union

Western Union Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The company has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a PE ratio of 4.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $9.52 and a 200-day moving average of $8.88.

Western Union (NYSE:WU – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.02. Western Union had a net margin of 18.80% and a return on equity of 60.85%. The company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.40 EPS. Western Union’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 2,803 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Western Union by 260.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,593 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 2,597 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $31,000 after buying an additional 3,124 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings 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 worth $31,000 after buying an additional 1,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Western Union by 164.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,581 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 2,229 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Western Union

(Get 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.