Western Union (NYSE:WU) Releases FY 2025 Earnings Guidance

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 1.750-1.850 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 1.810. The company issued revenue guidance of $4.1 billion-$4.2 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $4.2 billion.

Western Union Stock Performance

WU traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $11.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,765,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,630,239. The company's 50-day moving average is $10.61 and its 200-day moving average is $11.27. Western Union has a 52 week low of $10.04 and a 52 week high of $14.19. The firm has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a PE ratio of 5.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.96, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.42 by ($0.02). Western Union had a return on equity of 120.39% and a net margin of 16.07%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Western Union will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.39%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Western Union's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.21%.

Western Union declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Friday, December 13th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the credit services provider to repurchase up to 27.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WU shares. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group reduced 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. StockNews.com raised Western Union from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.20.

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.