Zacks Research Expects Stronger Earnings for Western Union

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2027 earnings estimates for shares of Western Union in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the credit services provider will earn $0.46 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.45. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Western Union’s current full-year earnings is $1.79 per share.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Western Union from $10.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.50.

Western Union Stock Performance

Shares of WU stock opened at $8.08 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.61. The business’s 50 day moving average is $8.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.11. Western Union has a 12-month low of $7.85 and a 12-month high of $12.02.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its 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 for 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 company’s revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.44 earnings per share. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th were paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Devin Mcgranahan acquired 176,470 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $8.49 per share, for a total transaction 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 represents a 23.96% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Matthew Cagwin acquired 17,500 shares of Western Union stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.36 per share, for a total transaction of $146,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 225,611 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,886,107.96. This represents a 8.41% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 1.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 2,948.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 40,236 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $426,000 after acquiring an additional 38,916 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Western Union by 80.2% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,264 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,453 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Western Union by 84.4% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 32,534 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 14,890 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union in the first quarter valued at approximately $665,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 1st quarter valued at $1,018,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

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.