# The Western Union Company (WU) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NYSE, United States. Sector: Financial Services / Consumer Finance. Price $7.18, market value $2.2 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 5.8×** (5-yr avg 5.0×, 3-yr avg 4.9×). The Western Union Company trades at 5.8× trailing earnings, close to its own five-year average of 5.0×. The Financial Services median in the September 2026 study was 13.1×. Forward P/E is 4.7×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **Price / sales: 0.6×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 0.6×, a low multiple typical of thin-margin businesses or out-of-favour stocks.
- **Price / book: 2.4×**. The shares trade at 2.4× book value; book value is a meaningful part of the valuation.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 25.2%** (5-yr avg 17.1%). Free cash flow equals 25.2% of the market value, above its five-year average of 17.1%, so the shares are cheaper on cash than they have usually been. Above 5% is generally attractive.
- **Earnings yield: 17.3%**. The inverse of the P/E: 17.3% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Operating margin: 16.6%**. 16.6% of revenue is left after running the business, a healthy level in most sectors.
- **Net margin: 12.9%**. 12.9% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 52.2%**. A 52.2% return on equity is extremely high; check whether buybacks or debt have shrunk the equity base, which flatters the ratio.
- **Return on invested capital: 19.5%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 19.5%: comfortably above what that capital costs.
- **Return on assets: 4.8%**. Each dollar of assets produces 4.8% of profit; low single digits are normal for banks and insurers.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): -3.7%** (3-yr -3.0%/yr, 5-yr -3.5%/yr). Revenue fell 3.7% over the last year, against -3.5% a year compounded over five years: growth is accelerating.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -44.5%** (3-yr -13.4%/yr, 5-yr -3.2%/yr). Earnings per share fell 44.5%, slower than revenue, so margins compressed.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): -2.8%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at -2.8% a year over three years, keeping pace with earnings: the growth is real cash.

## Financial health
- **Piotroski F-score: 5/9**. 5 of 9 checks pass: mixed.
- **Cash and short-term investments: $1.2 billion**. Leverage ratios are shown differently for banks and insurers, whose balance sheets are built on deposits and reserves; use return on equity and the regulatory capital in the filings instead.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 13.09%** ($0.94 per share, trailing). The Western Union Company yields 13.09%, high enough to check carefully: yields this high often precede a cut.
- **Payout ratio: 62%** (54% of free cash flow). 62% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 20**. 20 straight years of increases, a record that survived at least one recession.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 0.9%/yr** (1-yr 0.0%). The dividend has grown 0.9% a year over five years.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: underperform** (14 analysts). 14 analysts cover The Western Union Company; the consensus is underperform, with an average price target of $7.09 (-1% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): -8.1%** (YTD -18.4%, 3-mo -0.9%). The shares are down 8.1% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -30.6%** (14.5% above the low). Trading 31% below its 52-week high, deep in a drawdown.
- **200-day average: below**. The price sits below its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of a downtrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 45**. An RSI of 45 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.45** (volatility 37%). Beta of 0.45 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=WU · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/wu

Not investment advice.