Acadian Asset Management LLC Has $2.95 Million Holdings in The Western Union Company $WU

Key Points

• Acadian Asset Management LLC has significantly increased its shares in The Western Union Company by 285.9%, now holding 278,679 shares valued at approximately $2.95 million.
• Western Union's recent quarterly earnings report showed lower than expected earnings of $0.42 per share, missing estimates by $0.02, alongside a drop in revenue compared to the previous year.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.235 per share, which translates to an annual yield of 11.2%, reflecting a healthy payout ratio of 35.61%.

Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 285.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 278,679 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 206,463 shares during the quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned 0.08% of Western Union worth $2,947,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Western Union in the first quarter valued at $1,018,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 1st quarter worth about $149,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Western Union by 45.5% in the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 68,622 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $726,000 after purchasing an additional 21,456 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Western Union by 188.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. bought a new position in Western Union during the 1st quarter worth approximately $124,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of Western Union stock traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $8.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 16,293,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,230,807. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.08, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11. The Western Union Company has a 1-year low of $7.89 and a 1-year high of $12.40.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.04 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 66.11%. Western Union's revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.44 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.5%. Western Union's payout ratio is presently 35.61%.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In related news, CFO Matthew Cagwin bought 17,500 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.36 per share, for a total transaction of $146,300.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 225,611 shares in the company, valued at $1,886,107.96. This trade represents a 8.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Devin Mcgranahan bought 176,470 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was bought at an average price of $8.49 per share, with a total value of $1,498,230.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 913,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,752,431.25. The trade was a 23.96% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WU shares. Barclays set a $8.00 price target on Western Union and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Western Union from $10.50 to $8.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut their target price on shares of Western Union from $7.50 to $7.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Western Union presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $8.61.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company provides money movement and payment services worldwide. The company operates through Consumer Money Transfer and Consumer Services segments. The Consumer Money Transfer segment facilitates money transfers for international cross-border and intra-country transfers, primarily through a network of retail agent locations, as well as through websites and mobile devices.