Q1 EPS Estimates for Western Union Cut by Zacks Research

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research decreased their Q1 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Western Union in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the credit services provider will earn $0.45 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.46. 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. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Western Union’s FY2027 earnings at $1.89 EPS.

WU has been the subject of several other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Western Union in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a “hold” rating and a $9.00 price objective for the company. Barclays set a $8.00 price objective on Western Union and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Western Union from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Western Union from $10.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Western Union from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.55.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of WU traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $9.16. The stock had a trading volume of 2,022,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,295,468. The stock has a market capitalization 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 current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company’s fifty day moving average is $8.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.76. Western Union has a 52 week low of $7.85 and a 52 week high of $11.94.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.47 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 business had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.46 EPS. Western Union’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.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WU. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Western Union by 188.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 2,483 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Western Union during the first quarter valued at about $124,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 779,770 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $8,250,000 after purchasing an additional 3,558 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in shares of Western Union by 49.0% in the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 68,284 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $722,000 after buying an additional 22,459 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Western Union by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 405,839 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $4,294,000 after buying an additional 1,262 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Western Union

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

Western Union Announces Dividend

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

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.