FY2025 EPS Forecast for Western Union Decreased by Analyst

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research decreased their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for Western Union in a report released on Monday, February 17th. Zacks Research analyst K. Dey now anticipates that the credit services provider will earn $1.77 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $1.83. The consensus estimate for Western Union's current full-year earnings is $1.79 per share.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a return on equity of 96.90% and a net margin of 22.19%.

WU has been the topic of a number of other research reports. UBS Group lowered their target price on Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $12.11.

Western Union Stock Performance

WU stock traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $10.63. 6,059,547 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,702,031. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04. The business has a 50-day moving average of $10.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a PE ratio of 3.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.85. Western Union has a 52 week low of $10.04 and a 52 week high of $14.19.

Western Union announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Friday, December 13th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the credit services provider to buy up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.84%. Western Union's payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WU. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,298 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $236,000 after buying an additional 982 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Western Union by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 50,387 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $534,000 after acquiring an additional 1,072 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its stake in Western Union by 0.5% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 238,876 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,849,000 after acquiring an additional 1,205 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 1.4% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 88,410 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,055,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Western Union by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 14,233 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $151,000 after purchasing an additional 1,493 shares in the last quarter. 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.