Tearsheet

Western Union (WU)


Market Price (11/20/2025): $8.5 | Market Cap: $2.7 Bil
Sector: Financials | Industry: Transaction & Payment Processing Services

Western Union (WU)


Market Price (11/20/2025): $8.5
Market Cap: $2.7 Bil
Sector: Financials
Industry: Transaction & Payment Processing Services

Investment Highlights Why It Matters Which of these 2 stories sounds closer for this stock?

1. Generates cash flow

The stock generated 4% or more of the share price (called cash flow yield), and shows moderate 10-15% or more growth.

2. Riding a trend

Think Tesla during the pandemic of 2020 when EVs were riding a cultural high, or Nvidia in the current AI boom, or even Figma. These companies don’t have enough yield, or, enough growth, or both - however - they are riding a trend. They have momentum. These can be more volatile - they don’t have the floor of strong cash flow


0 Attractive yield
Total YieldTotal Yield = Earnings Yield + Dividend Yield, Earnings Yield = Net Income / Market Cap Dividend Yield = Total Dividends / Market Cap is 40%, Dividend Yield is 12%, ERPEquity Risk Premium (ERP) = Total Yield - Risk Free Rate, Reflects the premium above risk free assets offered by the investment. is 36%, FCF Yield is 15%
Weak multi-year price returns
2Y Excs Rtn is -65%, 3Y Excs Rtn is -89%
Weak revenue growth
Rev Chg LTMRevenue Change % Last Twelve Months (LTM) is -2.5%, Rev Chg 3Y AvgRevenue Change % averaged over trailing 3 years is -4.2%, Rev Chg QQuarterly Revenue Change % is -0.3%
1 Attractive cash flow generation
CFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 13%
Meaningful short interest
Short Interest % of Basic SharesShort Interest % of Basic Shares = (Short Interest Quantity) / (Basic Shares Outstanding). A high fraction of short interest can indicate potential risk of a short squeeze. is 14%
 
2 Valuation becoming less expensive
P/S 6M Chg %Price/Sales change over 6 months. Declining P/S indicates valuation has become less expensive. is -27%
  
3 Low stock price volatility
Vol 12M is 32%
  
4 Megatrend and thematic drivers
Megatrends include Fintech & Digital Payments. Themes include Digital Payments, and Cross-border Remittances.
  
0 Attractive yield
Total YieldTotal Yield = Earnings Yield + Dividend Yield, Earnings Yield = Net Income / Market Cap Dividend Yield = Total Dividends / Market Cap is 40%, Dividend Yield is 12%, ERPEquity Risk Premium (ERP) = Total Yield - Risk Free Rate, Reflects the premium above risk free assets offered by the investment. is 36%, FCF Yield is 15%
1 Attractive cash flow generation
CFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 13%
2 Valuation becoming less expensive
P/S 6M Chg %Price/Sales change over 6 months. Declining P/S indicates valuation has become less expensive. is -27%
3 Low stock price volatility
Vol 12M is 32%
4 Megatrend and thematic drivers
Megatrends include Fintech & Digital Payments. Themes include Digital Payments, and Cross-border Remittances.
5 Weak multi-year price returns
2Y Excs Rtn is -65%, 3Y Excs Rtn is -89%
6 Meaningful short interest
Short Interest % of Basic SharesShort Interest % of Basic Shares = (Short Interest Quantity) / (Basic Shares Outstanding). A high fraction of short interest can indicate potential risk of a short squeeze. is 14%
7 Weak revenue growth
Rev Chg LTMRevenue Change % Last Twelve Months (LTM) is -2.5%, Rev Chg 3Y AvgRevenue Change % averaged over trailing 3 years is -4.2%, Rev Chg QQuarterly Revenue Change % is -0.3%

Market Valuation & Key Metrics

WU Stock


Why The Stock Moved


Qualitative Assessment

AI Generated Analysis | Feedback

Here are the key points highlighting why Western Union (WU) stock moved by 8% for the approximate time period from July 31, 2025, to today:

1. Western Union reported a beat on its adjusted earnings per share for the third quarter of 2025, exceeding analyst estimates. The company announced adjusted EPS of $0.47, surpassing the analyst consensus of $0.44. This positive earnings surprise likely contributed to an upward movement in the stock price.

2. The company demonstrated significant growth in its Branded Digital and Consumer Services segments in Q3 2025. Branded Digital revenue increased by 7% on a reported basis (6% adjusted) with a 12% rise in transactions, while Consumer Services revenue surged by 49% (both reported and adjusted). These growth areas indicate successful strategic diversification away from traditional retail money transfer.

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Stock Movement Drivers

Return vs. Risk


Price Returns Compared

 202020212022202320242025Total [1]
Returns
WU Return-15%-15%-18%-6%-4%-14%-54%
Peers Return80%-2%-28%18%31%-7%84%
S&P 500 Return16%27%-19%24%23%13%106%

Monthly Win Rates [3]
WU Win Rate50%50%50%67%42%30% 
Peers Win Rate63%55%38%55%65%58% 
S&P 500 Win Rate58%75%42%67%75%70% 

Max Drawdowns [4]
WU Max Drawdown-34%-26%-27%-25%-6%-21% 
Peers Max Drawdown-33%-16%-37%-14%-8%-22% 
S&P 500 Max Drawdown-31%-1%-25%-1%-2%-15% 


[1] Cumulative total returns since the beginning of 2020
[2] Peers: MA, V, AXP, PYPL, XYZ. See WU Returns vs. Peers.
[3] Win Rate = % of calendar months in which monthly returns were positive
[4] Max drawdown represents maximum peak-to-trough decline within a year
[5] 2025 data is for the year up to 11/19/2025 (YTD)

How Low Can It Go

Unique KeyEventWUS&P 500
2022 Inflation Shock2022 Inflation Shock  
2022 Inflation Shock% Loss% Loss-60.8%-25.4%
2022 Inflation Shock% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven155.2%34.1%
2022 Inflation ShockTime to BreakevenTime to BreakevenNot Fully Recovered days464 days
2020 Covid Pandemic2020 Covid Pandemic  
2020 Covid Pandemic% Loss% Loss-37.8%-33.9%
2020 Covid Pandemic% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven60.8%51.3%
2020 Covid PandemicTime to BreakevenTime to BreakevenNot Fully Recovered days148 days
2018 Correction2018 Correction  
2018 Correction% Loss% Loss-26.7%-19.8%
2018 Correction% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven36.4%24.7%
2018 CorrectionTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven255 days120 days
2008 Global Financial Crisis2008 Global Financial Crisis  
2008 Global Financial Crisis% Loss% Loss-63.2%-56.8%
2008 Global Financial Crisis% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven171.8%131.3%
2008 Global Financial CrisisTime to BreakevenTime to BreakevenNot Fully Recovered days1480 days

Compare to MA, V, AXP, PYPL, XYZ


In The Past

Western Union's stock fell -60.8% during the 2022 Inflation Shock from a high on 4/29/2021. A -60.8% loss requires a 155.2% gain to breakeven.

Preserve Wealth

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Asset Allocation

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About Western Union (WU)

Better Bets than Western Union (WU)

Trade Ideas

Select past ideas related to WU. For more, see Trefis Trade Ideas.

Unique KeyDateTickerCompanyCategoryTrade Strategy6M Fwd Rtn12M Fwd Rtn12M Max DD
BRO_10312025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield10312025BROBrown & BrownDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
-1.2%-1.2%-4.2%
CPAY_10312025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield10312025CPAYCorpayDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
6.2%6.2%0.0%
EEFT_10312025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield10312025EEFTEuronet WorldwideDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
-8.2%-8.2%-8.2%
GPN_10312025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield10312025GPNGlobal PaymentsDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
-7.4%-7.4%-7.4%
APO_10102025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield10102025APOApollo Asset ManagementDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
8.0%8.0%0.0%
WU_10312023_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield10312023WUWestern UnionDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
23.5%3.2%0.0%
WU_4302022_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield04302022WUWestern UnionDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
-14.4%-30.1%-35.3%
Unique KeyDateTickerCompanyCategoryTrade Strategy6M Fwd Rtn12M Fwd Rtn12M Max DD
BRO_10312025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield10312025BROBrown & BrownDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
-1.2%-1.2%-4.2%
CPAY_10312025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield10312025CPAYCorpayDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
6.2%6.2%0.0%
EEFT_10312025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield10312025EEFTEuronet WorldwideDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
-8.2%-8.2%-8.2%
GPN_10312025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield10312025GPNGlobal PaymentsDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
-7.4%-7.4%-7.4%
APO_10102025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield10102025APOApollo Asset ManagementDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
8.0%8.0%0.0%
WU_10312023_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield10312023WUWestern UnionDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
23.5%3.2%0.0%
WU_4302022_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield04302022WUWestern UnionDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
-14.4%-30.1%-35.3%

Recent Active Movers

Recent Active Movers

More From Trefis

Peer Comparisons for Western Union

Financials

WUMAVAXPPYPLXYZMedian
NameWestern .Masterca.Visa American.PayPal Block  
Mkt Price8.45530.36324.12344.6460.1162.00193.06
Mkt Cap2.7481.6419.4238.557.137.8147.8
Rev LTM4,10030,24140,00070,42832,86223,97431,552
Op Inc LTM75017,64526,556-6,2962,3086,296
FCF LTM40315,86721,57718,9445,5651,83210,716
FCF 3Y Avg40612,41219,98916,9045,2651,1158,838
CFO LTM54216,95323,05921,1396,4261,97311,690
CFO 3Y Avg55213,56621,25518,8015,9721,2719,769

Growth & Margins

WUMAVAXPPYPLXYZMedian
NameWestern .Masterca.Visa American.PayPal Block  
Rev Chg LTM-2.5%14.6%11.3%9.1%4.5%0.5%6.8%
Rev Chg 3Y Avg-4.2%13.2%10.9%11.6%6.7%12.6%11.3%
Rev Chg Q-0.3%16.8%11.5%10.8%7.3%2.3%9.0%
QoQ Delta Rev Chg LTM-0.1%4.0%2.8%2.6%1.8%0.6%2.2%
Op Mgn LTM18.3%58.3%66.4%-19.2%9.6%19.2%
Op Mgn 3Y Avg17.8%58.2%66.8%-17.9%5.9%17.9%
QoQ Delta Op Mgn LTM0.9%0.3%-0.1%-0.1%1.0%0.3%
CFO/Rev LTM13.2%56.1%57.6%30.0%19.6%8.2%24.8%
CFO/Rev 3Y Avg13.0%50.4%58.9%29.2%19.0%5.5%24.1%
FCF/Rev LTM9.8%52.5%53.9%26.9%16.9%7.6%21.9%
FCF/Rev 3Y Avg9.6%46.0%55.4%26.3%16.8%4.8%21.5%

Valuation

WUMAVAXPPYPLXYZMedian
NameWestern .Masterca.Visa American.PayPal Block  
Mkt Cap2.7481.6419.4238.557.137.8147.8
P/S0.715.910.53.41.71.62.6
P/EBIT3.628.016.9-8.818.416.9
P/E3.535.420.922.611.612.116.5
P/CFO5.028.418.211.38.919.214.7
Total Yield39.9%2.8%5.6%4.4%8.6%8.3%7.0%
Dividend Yield11.5%0.0%0.8%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
FCF Yield 3Y Avg11.3%2.7%4.6%10.7%7.5%2.9%6.0%
D/E1.00.00.10.20.20.20.2
Net D/E-0.10.00.00.00.0-0.10.0

Returns

WUMAVAXPPYPLXYZMedian
NameWestern .Masterca.Visa American.PayPal Block  
1M Rtn4.3%-6.4%-5.7%-1.4%-12.9%-19.0%-6.0%
3M Rtn4.7%-10.4%-5.6%12.0%-11.5%-16.4%-8.0%
6M Rtn-7.5%-6.6%-9.2%21.1%-15.9%11.8%-7.1%
12M Rtn-13.1%2.7%4.7%22.0%-28.4%-32.9%-5.2%
3Y Rtn-21.5%57.1%57.3%134.6%-29.1%-5.8%25.6%
1M Excs Rtn5.3%-5.9%-5.1%-1.6%-12.6%-18.9%-5.5%
3M Excs Rtn-2.0%-14.6%-9.8%7.8%-15.1%-20.6%-12.2%
6M Excs Rtn-21.1%-20.3%-22.8%7.5%-29.6%-1.8%-20.7%
12M Excs Rtn-27.0%-10.9%-7.7%8.3%-42.9%-39.6%-18.9%
3Y Excs Rtn-88.6%-8.8%-7.6%64.3%-100.5%-79.6%-44.2%

Financials

Segment Financials

Revenue by Segment

$ Mil20242023202220212020
Consumer Money Transfer4,0053,9944,3944,2204,408
Consumer Services322285255259496
Business Solutions30197422356389
Total4,3574,4765,0714,8355,292


Operating Income by Segment
$ Mil20242023202220212020
Consumer Money Transfer751765978925975
Consumer Services92101505527
Business Solutions458962447
Redeployment program costs-30-22   
Business Solutions exit costs -8   
Russia/Belarus exit costs -10   
Acquisition, separation, and integration costs   -37-116
Total8188851,123967934


Price Behavior

Short Interest

Short Interest: As Of Date10312025
Short Interest: Shares Quantity45,076,520
Short Interest: % Change Since 10152025-2.0%
Average Daily Volume13,893,061
Days-to-Cover Short Interest3.24
Basic Shares Quantity322,100,000
Short % of Basic Shares14.0%

Earnings Returns History

Expand for More

 Forward Returns
Earnings Date1D Returns5D Returns21D Returns
10/23/202510.2%15.7% 
7/28/2025-4.1%-4.9%1.7%
4/23/20250.7%-2.0%-4.7%
2/4/20256.1%-1.2%6.6%
10/23/2024-3.4%-6.5%-6.0%
7/30/2024-8.3%-11.3%-6.6%
4/24/2024-2.2%-3.7%-5.9%
2/6/2024-5.6%0.6%12.4%
...
SUMMARY STATS   
# Positive1188
# Negative141717
Median Positive1.3%4.8%7.7%
Median Negative-5.6%-3.7%-5.9%
Max Positive10.2%15.7%21.4%
Max Negative-12.6%-11.8%-26.8%

SEC Filings

Expand for More

Report DateFiling DateFiling
93020251027202510-Q 9/30/2025
6302025728202510-Q 6/30/2025
3312025423202510-Q 3/31/2025
12312024220202510-K 12/31/2024
93020241023202410-Q 9/30/2024
6302024730202410-Q 6/30/2024
3312024424202410-Q 3/31/2024
12312023222202410-K 12/31/2023
93020231025202310-Q 9/30/2023
6302023726202310-Q 6/30/2023
3312023502202310-Q 3/31/2023
12312022223202310-K 12/31/2022
93020221101202210-Q 9/30/2022
6302022803202210-Q 6/30/2022
3312022428202210-Q 3/31/2022
12312021224202210-K 12/31/2021

Insider Activity

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 OwnerTitleFiling DateActionPriceSharesTransacted
Value
Value of
Held Shares
Form
0McGranahan DevinCEO & President8252025Buy8.49176,4701,498,0547,751,518Form
1Cagwin MatthewChief Financial Officer8202025Buy8.3617,500146,3001,886,111Form