Insider Buying: Western Union (NYSE:WU) CEO Buys 176,470 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Western Union CEO Devin Mcgranahan purchased 176,470 shares of the company's stock at an average price of $8.49, representing a nearly 24% increase in his ownership.
• The company's stock reported a decline of 2.7%, with shares trading at $8.4450 amidst mixed performance in recent earnings reports.
• Equities analysts have set various price targets for Western Union, with a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a target price of $8.61.

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) CEO Devin Mcgranahan acquired 176,470 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $8.49 per share, with a total value of $1,498,230.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 913,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,752,431.25. The trade was a 23.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Western Union Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of WU traded down $0.2350 on Monday, reaching $8.4450. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,532,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,433,214. The Western Union Company has a twelve month low of $7.89 and a twelve month high of $12.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.73 billion, a PE ratio of 3.20, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $8.38 and a 200-day moving average of $9.50.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.04 billion. Western Union had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 66.11%. Western Union's revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.44 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WU shares. Barclays set a $8.00 price target on Western Union and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Susquehanna reduced 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. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Western Union to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $10.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Western Union presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $8.61.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,298 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $236,000 after buying an additional 982 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in Western Union by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 239,236 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,530,000 after acquiring an additional 1,085 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its stake in Western Union by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 186,822 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,947,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Western Union by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 405,839 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,294,000 after acquiring an additional 1,262 shares during the period. Finally, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Western Union by 2.3% during the first quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 62,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $665,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Western Union

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.

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