Acadian Asset Management LLC Buys 206,463 Shares of The Western Union Company $WU

Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) by 285.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 278,679 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 206,463 shares during the quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned about 0.08% of Western Union worth $2,947,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 1,487.6% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 3,080 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Western Union by 80.2% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,264 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,453 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Western Union by 464.3% in the 1st quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 3,397 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 2,795 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Western Union by 188.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 2,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Western Union during the first quarter valued at about $96,000. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on WU shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Western Union in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $9.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Barclays set a $8.00 target price on Western Union and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt dropped their price target on Western Union from $7.50 to $7.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.61.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Western Union news, CFO Matthew Cagwin bought 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $8.36 per share, for a total transaction of $146,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 225,611 shares in the company, valued at $1,886,107.96. This trade represents a 8.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Devin Mcgranahan acquired 176,470 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $8.49 per share, with a total value of $1,498,230.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 913,125 shares in the company, valued at $7,752,431.25. This trade represents a 23.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 1.58% of the company’s stock.

Western Union Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE WU opened at $8.39 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11. The Western Union Company has a 52 week low of $7.89 and a 52 week high of $12.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.18, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a fifty day moving average of $8.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.27.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The credit services provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.04 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 66.11% and a net margin of 21.83%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.44 earnings per share. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. On average, analysts predict that The Western Union Company will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is 35.61%.

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.