Expensify (NASDAQ:EXFY) & Western Union (NYSE:WU) Head to Head Survey

Western Union (NYSE:WU) and Expensify (NASDAQ:EXFY) are both business services companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership and earnings.

Volatility and Risk

Western Union has a beta of 0.46, indicating that its stock price is 54% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Expensify has a beta of 1.68, indicating that its stock price is 68% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Western Union and Expensify’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Western Union	10.88%	55.94%	6.39%
Expensify	-14.68%	-15.26%	-10.96%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Western Union and Expensify”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Western Union	$4.05 billion	0.67	$499.60 million	$1.36	6.40
Expensify	$142.10 million	1.06	-$21.39 million	($0.23)	-7.74

Western Union has higher revenue and earnings than Expensify. Expensify is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Western Union, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Western Union and Expensify, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Western Union	6	6	0	0	1.50
Expensify	1	1	0	0	1.50

Western Union currently has a consensus target price of $8.45, suggesting a potential downside of 2.93%. Expensify has a consensus target price of $2.50, suggesting a potential upside of 40.45%. Given Expensify’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Expensify is more favorable than Western Union.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

91.8% of Western Union shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.4% of Expensify shares are held by institutional investors. 3.3% of Western Union shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 11.7% of Expensify shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Western Union beats Expensify on 8 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

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. The Consumer Services segments offers bill payment services, which facilitate payments for consumers, businesses, and other organizations, as well as money order services, retail foreign exchange services, prepaid cards, lending partnerships, and digital wallets. The company was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

About Expensify

Expensify, Inc. provides a cloud-based expense management software platform to individuals and corporations, small and midsized businesses, and enterprises in the United States and internationally. The company’s platform enables users to manage corporate cards, pay bills, generate invoices, collect payments, and book travel. It also offers track and submit plans for individuals. The company was founded in 2008 and is based in Portland, Oregon.