The Western Union Company $WU Shares Bought by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) by 52.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 520,779 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 179,423 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned 0.17% of Western Union worth $4,547,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 606.7% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,265 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 2,803 shares in the last quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Western Union during the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in Western Union by 1,546.5% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 3,326 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 3,124 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in Western Union by 67.0% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,331 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,336 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Western Union by 179.6% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,341 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 2,146 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In related news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $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 the SEC website. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the business'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 sale, the insider owned 311,292 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Corporate insiders own 3.29% of the company's stock.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU opened at $8.71 on Tuesday. 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's 50 day moving average is $7.88 and its 200-day moving average is $8.83. The Western Union Company has a 12-month low of $6.91 and a 12-month high of $10.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.46.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.15). The business had revenue of $963.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 10.88% and a return on equity of 55.94%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior 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 1.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WU has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Western Union from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Barclays initiated coverage on Western Union in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $7.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Western Union from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $8.45.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.