The Western Union Company $WU Shares Acquired by Qsemble Capital Management LP

Key Points

• Qsemble Capital Management boosted its stake in Western Union by 1,247.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 604,135 shares valued at about $5.6 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased holdings, and 91.81% of Western Union shares are owned by institutions and hedge funds.
• Western Union reported mixed earnings, missing both EPS and revenue estimates for the quarter, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Reduce” with a price target of $8.82.

Qsemble Capital Management LP grew its stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 1,247.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 604,135 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 559,313 shares during the quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP owned about 0.19% of Western Union worth $5,624,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 67.0% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,331 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,336 shares during the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Western Union by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors now owns 9,992 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 1,381 shares during the period. Michels Family Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Western Union by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Michels Family Financial LLC now owns 46,722 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 1,436 shares during the period. WealthCollab LLC boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 64.5% in the 4th quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,629 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 164.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,581 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 2,229 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Western Union

In related news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total transaction of $183,898.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 234,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,166,179.47. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of Western Union 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 sale, the insider owned 311,292 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,947,935.24. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on WU. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Western Union to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Nine equities 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $8.82.

Western Union Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of WU stock opened at $8.34 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $9.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.24. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $2.60 billion, a PE ratio of 6.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 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 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). The firm had revenue of $963.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 55.94% and a net margin of 10.88%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union's 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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