Zacks Research Lowers Earnings Estimates for Western Union

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2027 earnings per share estimates for Western Union in a report issued on Wednesday, November 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the credit services provider will earn $0.45 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.46. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Western Union’s current full-year earnings is $1.79 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Western Union’s FY2027 earnings at $1.89 EPS.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.04. Western Union had a return on equity of 60.85% and a net margin of 18.80%.The company had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Western Union has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt decreased their price target on shares of Western Union from $7.50 to $7.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Citigroup upgraded Western Union to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Western Union in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a “hold” rating and a $9.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded Western Union from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $10.00 price target on shares of Western Union in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Ten 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 a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.55.

Western Union Price Performance

WU traded down $0.13 on Friday, reaching $9.16. The company had a trading volume of 2,022,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,295,468. Western Union has a 52-week low of $7.85 and a 52-week high of $11.94. The company has a market cap of $2.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.12. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.76.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WU. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in Western Union by 649.4% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 3,462 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 260.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,593 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 2,597 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in Western Union by 464.3% during the 1st quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 3,397 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 2,795 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Western Union by 667.0% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,602 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 4,002 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 188.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,483 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Matthew Cagwin acquired 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $8.36 per share, for a total transaction of $146,300.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 225,611 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,886,107.96. This trade represents a 8.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Devin Mcgranahan bought 176,470 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.49 per share, for a total transaction of $1,498,230.30. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 913,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,752,431.25. This represents a 23.96% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th were issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.3%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.05%.

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.