The Western Union Company Forecasted to Earn Q4 2024 Earnings of $0.42 Per Share (NYSE:WU)

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) – Stock analysts at Northland Capmk boosted their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for Western Union in a research report issued on Thursday, April 25th. Northland Capmk analyst M. Grondahl now forecasts that the credit services provider will post earnings per share of $0.42 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.39. The consensus estimate for Western Union’s current full-year earnings is $1.75 per share.

WU has been the topic of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Western Union from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.45.

Western Union Stock Up 1.4 %

Western Union stock opened at $13.47 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.38. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.61. Western Union has a 1-year low of $10.37 and a 1-year high of $14.19.

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

Western Union Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.98%. Western Union’s payout ratio is 55.62%.

Insider Activity

In other Western Union news, Director Timothy P. Murphy purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $12.85 per share, with a total value of $128,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 56,205 shares in the company, valued at $722,234.25. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western Union

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Western Union in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Western Union during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in Western Union in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

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.