Squarepoint Ops LLC Decreases Position in The Western Union Company $WU

Key Points

• Squarepoint Ops LLC cut its Western Union stake by 96.7% in the second quarter, selling 2.83 million shares and retaining 96,419 shares valued at approximately $742,000. Institutional investors collectively own 91.81% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is strongly negative: Western Union has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” from MarketBeat, with a consensus price target of $7.55. The stock opened at $6.18, near its 52-week low, after the company missed quarterly earnings and revenue expectations.
• Western Union declared a quarterly dividend of $0.235 per share, equivalent to $0.94 annually and a 15.2% yield; the dividend payout ratio is 76.42%.

Squarepoint Ops LLC reduced its stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 96.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 96,419 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 2,827,017 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC's holdings in Western Union were worth $742,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in Western Union during the 2nd quarter worth $51,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in Western Union in the second quarter valued at $977,000. AlphaGrep UK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Western Union during the second quarter worth about $104,000. iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Western Union during the second quarter worth about $135,000. Finally, BTG Pactual Asset Management US LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union during the second quarter worth about $371,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WU. New Street Research reissued a "reduce" rating on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a $8.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a research report on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Monness Crespi & Hardt reissued a "sell" rating and issued a $6.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Western Union from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and eight have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Union has a consensus rating of "Strong Sell" and a consensus target price of $7.55.

Western Union Stock Down 5.4%

WU opened at $6.18 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $7.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95. The company has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a PE ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 0.50. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $6.16 and a 52 week high of $10.35.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.02 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 50.89%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.37 earnings per share. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 15.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.42%.

Western Union Company Profile

Western Union Company NYSE: WU is a global provider of money movement and payment services. The company enables consumers and businesses to send and receive money across borders and within individual markets through digital platforms, mobile applications and a network of retail agent locations.

Its services include consumer money transfers, international remittances, bill payments and money orders. Customers can typically initiate transfers online, through the Western Union app or at participating retail locations, with recipients able to collect funds in cash or receive them through eligible bank accounts, digital wallets or other payment methods, depending on the destination market.

Western Union traces its origins to 1851, when it was established as a telegraph company in the United States.

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