William Blair Lowers Earnings Estimates for Western Union

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) – Equities researchers at William Blair decreased their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Western Union in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, October 23rd. William Blair analyst C. Kennedy now forecasts that the credit services provider will earn $0.41 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.43. The consensus estimate for Western Union’s current full-year earnings is $1.76 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Western Union’s Q1 2025 earnings at $0.47 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.48 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.43 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $1.95 EPS.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. Western Union had a return on equity of 123.71% and a net margin of 13.64%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.43 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on WU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Western Union from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Western Union from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com raised Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group cut their price target on Western Union from $13.50 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Western Union in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.86.

Western Union Stock Up 0.2 %

WU stock opened at $11.18 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.86, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.98. Western Union has a twelve month low of $10.92 and a twelve month high of $14.19. The company’s 50 day moving average is $11.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.36.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Western Union during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 112,237 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,569,000 after buying an additional 1,793 shares in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Western Union by 110.3% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,047 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $140,000 after buying an additional 5,269 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Western Union in the first quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Finally, Insight Folios Inc acquired a new position in Western Union during the first quarter worth $5,388,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.81% of the company’s stock.

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.