FY2025 EPS Forecast for Western Union Lowered by Analyst

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research decreased their FY2025 EPS estimates for shares of Western Union in a report issued 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 previous forecast of $1.83. The consensus estimate for Western Union’s current full-year earnings is $1.80 per share.

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

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased 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 research report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Western Union from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 13th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.11.

Western Union Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE WU opened at $10.81 on Thursday. Western Union has a one year low of $10.04 and a one year high of $14.19. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $10.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.96, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Friday, December 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the credit services provider to purchase up to 27.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.43%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WU. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in Western Union in the third quarter valued at $25,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Western Union in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new stake in Western Union in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its stake in Western Union by 1,487.6% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 3,080 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 2,886 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in Western Union by 662.7% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,722 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 3,234 shares during the last quarter. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.