Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. Buys Shares of 347,343 The Western Union Company $WU

Key Points

• Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Western Union, buying 347,343 shares worth about $3.23 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with hedge funds and other investors holding 91.81% of the company, while several firms recently increased their positions in the stock.
• Western Union reported weaker-than-expected Q1 earnings, missing both EPS and revenue estimates, even as the stock traded up and the company maintained a generous 11.0% dividend yield.

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 347,343 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,234,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. owned about 0.11% of Western Union at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in Western Union by 11,759.8% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 53.0% during the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 2,399,631 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $19,173,000 after acquiring an additional 831,245 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union during the third quarter worth about $1,018,000. Cambria Investment Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 19.9% during the third quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. now owns 869,949 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $6,951,000 after acquiring an additional 144,405 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 51.1% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 6,329,626 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $50,574,000 after acquiring an additional 2,140,167 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Western Union

In other news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was 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 $2,166,179.47. This represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total value of $56,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 311,292 shares in the company, valued at $2,947,935.24. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 3.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Western Union to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Western Union has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $8.82.

Western Union Trading Up 2.9%

Western Union stock opened at $8.58 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $7.85 and a 52 week high of $10.35. The company has a market capitalization of $2.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $9.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.22.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 55.94% and a net margin of 10.88%.The firm had revenue of $963.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.41 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.0%. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.12%.

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.

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