LSV Asset Management Boosts Stock Holdings in The Western Union Company $WU

Key Points

• LSV Asset Management increased its Western Union stake by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 9.73 million shares valued at about $90.6 million.
• Western Union reported weaker-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.25 versus the $0.40 consensus and revenue of $963.5 million versus expectations of $1.06 billion.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.235 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 11.2%.

LSV Asset Management boosted its position in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,733,727 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 124,650 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management owned 3.06% of Western Union worth $90,621,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RiverFront Investment Group LLC increased its stake in Western Union by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 28,662 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $267,000 after buying an additional 1,278 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of Western Union by 67.0% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,331 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,336 shares in the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of Western Union by 16.0% in the fourth quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors now owns 9,992 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 1,381 shares in the last quarter. Michels Family Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Western Union by 3.2% in the third quarter. Michels Family Financial LLC now owns 46,722 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,436 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WealthCollab LLC grew its position in shares of Western Union by 64.5% in the fourth quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,629 shares in the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Western Union to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $8.82.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In related news, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 311,292 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,947,935.24. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total value of $183,898.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 234,689 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,166,179.47. The trade was a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Western Union Price Performance

WU stock opened at $8.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.62 billion, a PE ratio of 6.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.50. The Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $7.85 and a 1 year high of $10.35.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $963.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 10.88% and a return on equity of 55.94%. Western Union's revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.12%.

Western Union Profile

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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