Algert Global LLC Has $567,000 Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company $WU

Key Points

• Algert Global LLC significantly reduced its stake in The Western Union Company by 87.6%, holding only 53,567 shares valued at $567,000.
• Several hedge funds increased or established new positions in Western Union during the first quarter, leading to institutional investors owning 91.81% of the stock.
• Western Union's stock recently opened at $8.6750; it missed analysts' earnings estimates for the last quarter, reporting $0.42 EPS versus an expected $0.44.

Algert Global LLC cut its stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 87.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,567 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 377,440 shares during the quarter. Algert Global LLC's holdings in Western Union were worth $567,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Western Union in the first quarter worth $1,018,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Western Union in the first quarter worth $149,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 21,456 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,483 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Western Union in the first quarter worth $124,000. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WU. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Western Union to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt decreased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $7.50 to $7.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $9.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $10.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $8.61.

Western Union Stock Up 2.1%

Western Union stock opened at $8.6750 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The Western Union Company has a fifty-two week low of $7.89 and a fifty-two week high of $12.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $8.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.51.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.04 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 66.11% and a net margin of 21.83%.The firm's revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.44 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Matthew Cagwin bought 17,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $8.36 per share, with a total value of $146,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 225,611 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,886,107.96. The trade was 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. 1.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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