Insider Selling: Western Union (NYSE:WU) Insider Sells 6,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares on April 28 at an average price of $9.47 for about $56,820 to cover tax withholding from vested equity, reducing his stake by 1.89% to 311,292 shares.
• Western Union missed quarterly expectations, reporting $0.25 EPS vs. $0.40 expected and revenue of $963.5M vs. $1.06B, while issuing FY2026 guidance of 1.75–1.85 EPS (consensus ~1.77).
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.235 (annualized $0.94), representing a high 10.4% yield

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total transaction of $56,820.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 311,292 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,947,935.24. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WU traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $9.08. The stock had a trading volume of 7,604,584 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,999,118. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.20. The company has a market capitalization of $2.84 billion, a PE ratio of 6.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 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 issued its quarterly 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 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.12%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. RiverFront Investment Group LLC increased its position in Western Union by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 28,662 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 1,278 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Western Union by 67.0% during 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 last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors increased its position in Western Union by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors now owns 9,992 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 1,381 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC increased its position in Western Union by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 239,428 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Michels Family Financial LLC increased its position in Western Union by 3.2% during the third quarter. Michels Family Financial LLC now owns 46,722 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,436 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WU. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Western Union to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Union has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $8.82.

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.

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