Western Union (NYSE:WU) CEO Acquires $1,498,230.30 in 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 bought 176,470 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $8.49 per share, for a total transaction of $1,498,230.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 913,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,752,431.25. This represents a 23.96% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Western Union Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of WU traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $8.67. The stock had a trading volume of 10,565,448 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,007,374. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.45. The Western Union Company has a twelve month low of $7.89 and a twelve month high of $12.40. The firm has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion during 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%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.44 EPS. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 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 10.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Western Union's payout ratio is 35.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WU has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Western Union from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $10.00 price target on Western Union in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer began coverage on Western Union in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Western Union from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Barclays set a $8.00 price objective on Western Union and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $8.61.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in Western Union by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,298 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 982 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in Western Union by 0.5% during 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 buying an additional 1,085 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its stake in Western Union by 0.7% in the first quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 186,822 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,947,000 after buying an additional 1,249 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Western Union by 0.3% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 405,839 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $4,294,000 after buying an additional 1,262 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Western Union by 2.3% in the first quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 62,824 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $665,000 after buying an additional 1,393 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.