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What's in the Cards for Western Union's (WU) Q4 Earnings?

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The Western Union Company (WU - Free Report) is set to report fourth-quarter 2021 earnings on Feb 10, after the market closes.

Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WU’s fourth-quarter earnings per share is pegged at 53 cents, indicating an increase of 17.8% from the year-ago period’s reported figure. The consensus mark for the same-period revenues stands at $1.29 billion, suggesting 2% growth from the year-earlier quarter’s reported number.

Let’s see how things have shaped up prior to the fourth-quarter earnings announcement.

Western Union has been making heavy investments in its digital money transfer arm and building a leading omni-channel platform for a while now, which are likely to have provided cushion to its four-quarter earnings.

Digital partnerships are likely to have contributed to WU’s revenues in the quarter under review. Moreover, constant investments are likely to have provided a boost to its digital revenues. We expect to see increased contribution from Western Union’s digital platform in the to-be-reported results.

Western Union’s Business Solution segment is likely to have delivered solid revenues owing to increased payment services activity and the education vertical as the business overcame the impact of COVID-19. The consensus mark for revenues from the Business Solution segment indicates an upside of 12.4% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.  

Its largest segment Consumer to consumer (C2C) is likely to have suffered lower transactions. The consensus mark for revenues from C2C business line indicates an upside of 1.2% from the year-ago quarter’s actuals.

On its last earnings call, management had said that Western Union is on track to launch a digital bank pilot in Germany and Romania in the fourth quarter. Fourth-quarter margins were estimated to be closer to the full-year average, per the last earnings call.

WU’s margins are expected to have been aided by targeted productivity savings and expense management, led by the WU Way lean program and organizational efficiencies.

Earnings Surprise History

Western Union’s bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters (missing the mark in one), the average beat being 3.92%. This is shown in the chart below:

The Western Union Company Price and EPS Surprise

The Western Union Company Price and EPS Surprise

The Western Union Company price-eps-surprise | The Western Union Company Quote

What Our Quantitative Model Predicts

Our proven model does not predict an earnings beat for Western Union this time around. The combination of a positive  Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat but this is not the case here.

Earnings ESP: Western Union has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our  Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank:  Western Union carries a Zacks Rank #3, currently. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Stocks to Consider

The following stocks in the payments space are predicted to surpass estimates this reporting cycle.

Aerican Express Company (AXP - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +0.67% and is presently Zacks #3 Ranked.

Equitable Holdings, Inc. (EQH - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +3.26% and a Zacks Rank of 1, presently.

Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (EEFT - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +0.50% and a Zacks Rank of 3 at present.

Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.
 

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