701,374 Shares in The Western Union Company $WU Acquired by Nuveen LLC

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC has acquired a new position in The Western Union Company, purchasing 701,374 shares valued at approximately $7.42 million, representing about 0.21% ownership as of their latest SEC filing.
• Hedge funds hold a significant majority of Western Union's stock, with institutional investors controlling 91.81% of shares, indicating strong institutional interest in the company.
• Western Union's shares have experienced recent target price reductions from multiple analysts, with a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $8.61 following disappointing quarterly earnings.

Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 701,374 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $7,421,000. Nuveen LLC owned about 0.21% of Western Union at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Western Union by 1.8% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,765,064 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $60,994,000 after acquiring an additional 103,332 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Western Union by 16.1% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 22,780 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 3,159 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in Western Union by 9.4% during the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 101,719 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,076,000 after purchasing an additional 8,742 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in Western Union by 8.9% during the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 51,469 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $545,000 after purchasing an additional 4,208 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its position in Western Union by 16.3% during the first quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 85,676 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $906,000 after purchasing an additional 12,015 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Union Stock Down 0.3%

Western Union stock traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $8.56. The company had a trading volume of 6,991,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,546,460. The stock has a market cap of $2.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.24, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.61. The Western Union Company has a 1 year low of $7.89 and a 1 year high of $12.40. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $8.39 and a 200 day moving average of $9.47.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Devin Mcgranahan acquired 176,470 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $8.49 per share, for a total transaction of $1,498,230.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 913,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,752,431.25. This represents a 23.96% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Matthew Cagwin purchased 17,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $8.36 per share, with a total value of $146,300.00. Following the purchase, 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 1.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays set a $8.00 target price on shares of Western Union and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Western Union in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "hold" rating and a $9.00 price objective for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Union has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $8.61.

Western Union Company Profile

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.