The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) Expected to Earn Q2 2024 Earnings of $0.43 Per Share

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) – Equities research analysts at William Blair lifted their Q2 2024 earnings per share estimates for Western Union in a research report issued on Thursday, April 25th. William Blair analyst C. Kennedy now expects that the credit services provider will post earnings per share of $0.43 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.39. William Blair currently has a “Market Perform” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Western Union’s current full-year earnings is $1.75 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Western Union’s Q3 2024 earnings at $0.43 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $0.43 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $1.74 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $1.83 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Western Union from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays raised their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Western Union from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Western Union from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Western Union presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.45.

Western Union Price Performance

Western Union stock opened at $13.47 on Monday. Western Union has a one year low of $10.37 and a one year high of $14.19. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $13.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.38, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.97, a PEG ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.85.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.05. Western Union had a return on equity of 120.76% and a net margin of 14.12%. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.43 earnings per share. Western Union’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Western Union Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.98%. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Western Union news, Director Timothy P. Murphy bought 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $12.85 per share, with a total value of $128,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 56,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $722,234.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.85% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Western Union during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Western Union during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Western Union during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Western Union by 500.5% in the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.