Brokers Set Expectations for The Western Union Company's Q4 2024 Earnings (NYSE:WU)

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for Western Union in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 8th. Zacks Research analyst K. Dey now forecasts that the credit services provider will post earnings of $0.42 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.41. The consensus estimate for Western Union's current full-year earnings is $1.77 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Western Union's Q4 2025 earnings at $0.46 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.48 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $1.91 EPS.

WU has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Western Union from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Western Union from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. William Blair reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Barclays lifted their target price on Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt initiated coverage on Western Union in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $13.61.

Western Union Stock Performance

NYSE WU remained flat at $13.29 during trading hours on Friday. 2,393,298 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,318,112. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.38, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $4.50 billion, a PE ratio of 7.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $13.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.62. Western Union has a 52 week low of $10.92 and a 52 week high of $14.19.

Western Union (NYSE:WU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company 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 business posted $0.43 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Insider Activity at Western Union

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Union

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Western Union in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union during the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 500.5% during the first 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union during the first quarter worth approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.