Western Union (WU) Scheduled to Post Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Western Union (NYSE:WU) is scheduled to be announcing its earnings results after the market closes on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.40 per share for the quarter. Western Union has set its FY24 guidance at $1.65-1.75 EPS and its FY 2024 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS.Investors interested in listening to the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The credit services provider reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.37. Western Union had a return on equity of 113.63% and a net margin of 14.37%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS. Western Union’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Western Union to post $2 EPS for the current fiscal year and $2 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Western Union Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WU opened at $13.02 on Monday. Western Union has a 1-year low of $10.37 and a 1-year high of $14.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.43 billion, a PE ratio of 7.75, a PEG ratio of 4.79 and a beta of 0.85. The business’s 50 day moving average is $13.37 and its 200-day moving average is $12.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.23.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.22%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is 55.95%.

Insider Activity at Western Union

In related news, Director Timothy P. Murphy acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $12.85 per share, for a total transaction of $128,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 56,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $722,234.25. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Western Union

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WU. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 310.5% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,615 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Western Union by 1,092.6% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 5,462 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 5,004 shares during the last quarter. West Tower Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Western Union in the second quarter valued at approximately $76,000. 91.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WU has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Western Union from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Western Union from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Monness Crespi & Hardt assumed coverage on Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Western Union from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.25.

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.