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Western Union (WU) Competitors

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$6.00 -0.03 (-0.42%)
Closing price 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$6.03 +0.04 (+0.58%)
As of 07:59 PM Eastern
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WU vs. PYPL, WEX, KLAR, RELY, and PAY

Should you buy Western Union stock or one of its competitors? Western Union's main competitors and comparable companies include PayPal (PYPL), WEX (WEX), Klarna Group (KLAR), Remitly Global (RELY), and Paymentus (PAY). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "transaction & payment processing services" industry.

How does Western Union compare to PayPal?

Western Union (NYSE:WU) and PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations and risk.

In the previous week, PayPal had 15 more articles in the media than Western Union. MarketBeat recorded 28 mentions for PayPal and 13 mentions for Western Union. PayPal's average media sentiment score of 0.80 beat Western Union's score of 0.29 indicating that PayPal is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Western Union
2 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
8 Neutral mention(s)
2 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
PayPal
16 Very Positive mention(s)
4 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
2 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Western Union has a beta of 0.51, indicating that its stock price is 49% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, PayPal has a beta of 1.27, indicating that its stock price is 27% more volatile than the broader market.

PayPal has a net margin of 14.36% compared to Western Union's net margin of 9.79%. Western Union's return on equity of 50.89% beat PayPal's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Western Union9.79% 50.89% 5.87%
PayPal 14.36%24.39%6.06%

Western Union presently has a consensus target price of $7.36, indicating a potential upside of 22.83%. PayPal has a consensus target price of $56.31, indicating a potential upside of 6.64%. Given Western Union's higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Western Union is more favorable than PayPal.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Western Union
8 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.43
PayPal
4 Sell rating(s)
34 Hold rating(s)
9 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.11

91.8% of Western Union shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.3% of PayPal shares are held by institutional investors. 3.3% of Western Union shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of PayPal shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

PayPal has higher revenue and earnings than Western Union. Western Union is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than PayPal, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Western Union$4.05B0.46$499.60M$1.234.87
PayPal$33.17B1.36$5.23B$5.299.98

Western Union pays an annual dividend of $0.94 per share and has a dividend yield of 15.7%. PayPal pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Western Union pays out 76.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. PayPal pays out 10.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Summary

PayPal beats Western Union on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Western Union compare to WEX?

Western Union (NYSE:WU) and WEX (NYSE:WEX) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, earnings, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and media sentiment.

Western Union has a beta of 0.51, indicating that its share price is 49% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, WEX has a beta of 0.84, indicating that its share price is 16% less volatile than the broader market.

Western Union has higher revenue and earnings than WEX. Western Union is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than WEX, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Western Union$4.05B0.46$499.60M$1.234.87
WEX$2.66B2.17$304.10M$10.0416.84

In the previous week, Western Union had 9 more articles in the media than WEX. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Western Union and 4 mentions for WEX. Western Union's average media sentiment score of 0.29 beat WEX's score of 0.29 indicating that Western Union is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Western Union
2 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
8 Neutral mention(s)
2 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
WEX
1 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

91.8% of Western Union shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 97.5% of WEX shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.3% of Western Union shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.4% of WEX shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

WEX has a net margin of 12.56% compared to Western Union's net margin of 9.79%. Western Union's return on equity of 50.89% beat WEX's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Western Union9.79% 50.89% 5.87%
WEX 12.56%43.19%3.53%

Western Union presently has a consensus target price of $7.36, indicating a potential upside of 22.83%. WEX has a consensus target price of $185.64, indicating a potential upside of 9.79%. Given Western Union's higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Western Union is more favorable than WEX.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Western Union
8 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.43
WEX
0 Sell rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.43

Summary

Western Union and WEX tied by winning 8 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Western Union compare to Klarna Group?

Western Union (NYSE:WU) and Klarna Group (NYSE:KLAR) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, profitability and media sentiment.

In the previous week, Western Union had 9 more articles in the media than Klarna Group. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Western Union and 4 mentions for Klarna Group. Klarna Group's average media sentiment score of 0.54 beat Western Union's score of 0.29 indicating that Klarna Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Western Union
2 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
8 Neutral mention(s)
2 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Klarna Group
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Western Union currently has a consensus target price of $7.36, indicating a potential upside of 22.83%. Klarna Group has a consensus target price of $27.79, indicating a potential upside of 121.48%. Given Klarna Group's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Klarna Group is more favorable than Western Union.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Western Union
8 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.43
Klarna Group
1 Sell rating(s)
14 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.35

Western Union has higher revenue and earnings than Klarna Group. Klarna Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Western Union, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Western Union$4.05B0.46$499.60M$1.234.87
Klarna Group$3.51B1.35-$294M-$0.37N/A

91.8% of Western Union shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.3% of Western Union shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Western Union has a net margin of 9.79% compared to Klarna Group's net margin of -3.54%. Western Union's return on equity of 50.89% beat Klarna Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Western Union9.79% 50.89% 5.87%
Klarna Group -3.54%-5.39%-0.76%

Summary

Western Union beats Klarna Group on 10 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Western Union compare to Remitly Global?

Western Union (NYSE:WU) and Remitly Global (NASDAQ:RELY) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, risk, media sentiment, profitability, dividends, earnings and analyst recommendations.

91.8% of Western Union shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 74.3% of Remitly Global shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.3% of Western Union shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 6.5% of Remitly Global shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Western Union currently has a consensus target price of $7.36, suggesting a potential upside of 22.83%. Remitly Global has a consensus target price of $27.78, suggesting a potential upside of 27.60%. Given Remitly Global's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Remitly Global is more favorable than Western Union.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Western Union
8 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.43
Remitly Global
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
10 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.08

Remitly Global has a net margin of 16.85% compared to Western Union's net margin of 9.79%. Western Union's return on equity of 50.89% beat Remitly Global's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Western Union9.79% 50.89% 5.87%
Remitly Global 16.85%33.33%21.92%

In the previous week, Western Union had 7 more articles in the media than Remitly Global. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Western Union and 6 mentions for Remitly Global. Remitly Global's average media sentiment score of 0.85 beat Western Union's score of 0.29 indicating that Remitly Global is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Western Union
2 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
8 Neutral mention(s)
2 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Remitly Global
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Western Union has a beta of 0.51, meaning that its share price is 49% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Remitly Global has a beta of 0.39, meaning that its share price is 61% less volatile than the broader market.

Western Union has higher revenue and earnings than Remitly Global. Western Union is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Remitly Global, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Western Union$4.05B0.46$499.60M$1.234.87
Remitly Global$1.64B2.82$67.93M$1.3915.66

Summary

Remitly Global beats Western Union on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Western Union compare to Paymentus?

Western Union (NYSE:WU) and Paymentus (NYSE:PAY) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends, valuation, risk and institutional ownership.

Western Union has a beta of 0.51, suggesting that its share price is 49% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Paymentus has a beta of 1.34, suggesting that its share price is 34% more volatile than the broader market.

Western Union presently has a consensus price target of $7.36, indicating a potential upside of 22.83%. Paymentus has a consensus price target of $38.67, indicating a potential upside of 25.42%. Given Paymentus' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Paymentus is more favorable than Western Union.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Western Union
8 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.43
Paymentus
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.63

91.8% of Western Union shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 78.4% of Paymentus shares are held by institutional investors. 3.3% of Western Union shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 55.8% of Paymentus shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Western Union has higher revenue and earnings than Paymentus. Western Union is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Paymentus, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Western Union$4.05B0.46$499.60M$1.234.87
Paymentus$1.20B3.25$66.94M$0.6646.71

In the previous week, Western Union had 8 more articles in the media than Paymentus. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Western Union and 5 mentions for Paymentus. Western Union's average media sentiment score of 0.29 beat Paymentus' score of 0.14 indicating that Western Union is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Western Union
2 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
8 Neutral mention(s)
2 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Paymentus
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Western Union has a net margin of 9.79% compared to Paymentus' net margin of 6.24%. Western Union's return on equity of 50.89% beat Paymentus' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Western Union9.79% 50.89% 5.87%
Paymentus 6.24%15.26%12.80%

Summary

Paymentus beats Western Union on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding WU and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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WU vs. The Competition

MetricWestern UnionFinancial Services IndustryFinance SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$1.88B$26.75B$13.34B$22.65B
Dividend Yield15.61%6.92%6.03%3.73%
P/E Ratio4.8719.4024.4927.75
Price / Sales0.46338.48501.6221.37
Price / Cash2.59264.3146.4538.88
Price / Book1.993.172.704.64
Net Income$499.60M$1.11B$1.32B$1.08B
7 Day Performance-2.88%-2.08%-1.04%-1.06%
1 Month Performance-17.93%0.20%1.00%-5.03%
1 Year Performance-25.76%-3.22%8.15%5.78%

Western Union Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
WU
Western Union
4.067 of 5 stars
$6.00
-0.4%
$7.36
+22.8%
-25.7%$1.88B$4.05B4.879,600
PYPL
PayPal
4.373 of 5 stars
$52.62
+0.4%
$56.03
+6.5%
-20.4%$44.83B$33.17B9.9523,800
WEX
WEX
3.1379 of 5 stars
$187.71
-3.0%
$185.64
-1.1%
+5.6%$6.60B$2.66B18.706,600
KLAR
Klarna Group
3.1597 of 5 stars
$13.68
-0.9%
$27.79
+103.1%
-66.7%$5.21B$3.51BN/A2,831
RELY
Remitly Global
4.2895 of 5 stars
$21.59
-1.6%
$27.78
+28.7%
+32.8%$4.64B$1.64B15.533,200

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This page (NYSE:WU) was last updated on 10/2/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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