Q2 2024 EPS Estimates for The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Lifted by Analyst

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) – Stock analysts at William Blair upped their Q2 2024 earnings estimates for shares of Western Union in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, April 25th. William Blair analyst C. Kennedy now forecasts that the credit services provider will earn $0.43 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.39. William Blair has a “Market Perform” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Western Union’s current full-year earnings is $1.75 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Western Union’s Q3 2024 earnings at $0.43 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $0.43 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $1.74 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $1.83 EPS.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on WU. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt initiated coverage on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Western Union presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.45.

Western Union Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE WU opened at $13.47 on Monday. Western Union has a 12-month low of $10.37 and a 12-month high of $14.19. The stock has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a PE ratio of 7.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.38. The company has a 50-day moving average of $13.43 and a 200 day moving average of $12.61.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.05. Western Union had a net margin of 14.12% and a return on equity of 120.76%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. Western Union’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.98%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.62%.

Insider Transactions at Western Union

In related news, Director Timothy P. Murphy acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $12.85 per share, for a total transaction of $128,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 56,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $722,234.25. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Western Union during the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 33.7% in the 1st quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 82,824 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,157,000 after purchasing an additional 20,887 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 35,968 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 2,587 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 500.5% in the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFG Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 1st quarter valued at $256,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.