Western Union
WU NYSE· Transaction & Payment Processing Services
Last close · Oct 26, 2026
$6.21
KIRA · Stoqly’s AI analyst, in plain words
- Western Union had $4.1B of revenue in fiscal 2025, down 3.8% on the year before. Over five years, revenue changed −3.5% a year on average.
- Its operating margin was 18.7%, up 1.5 pts: of every 100 in sales, about 19 is left after running the business.
- Western Union made $500M of net profit in fiscal 2025. From fiscal 2016 to 2025, diluted EPS grew 12.9% a year.
- Free cash flow was $505M in fiscal 2025, 12.5% of revenue.
- Western Union returned $544M to shareholders in fiscal 2025, 108% of free cash flow. The diluted share count fell 4.0%.
- Western Union owes $1.6B more than it holds in cash, about 1.8 years of operating profit.
Market cap
$1.9B
P/E
5.1x
Revenue
$4.1B
Net income
$500M
Free cash flow
$505M
Operating margin
18.7%
Western Union in 30 seconds · fiscal 2025
Are sales growing?
−3.8%
No. Sales fell 3.8% last year.
Does it make a profit?
12.3%
Yes. It keeps 12.3% of every sale as profit.
Does profit turn into cash?
12.5%
Yes. 12.5% of sales ends up as free cash.
Is debt under control?
1.8x
Keep an eye on it. Repaying its debt would take 1.8 years of operating profit.
How is the share priced?
5.1x
One share costs 5.1 times its yearly profit per share. Typical for its sector: 13.7x.
What Western Union does
Western Union moves money across borders and currencies for consumers, businesses and others. Customers send money through its agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories, at stores it operates, and on Western Union websites and mobile apps, including those of digital partners. It also sells bill payment, money order, travel money, check acceptance and prepaid card services, and is rolling out a digital wallet in some countries. The company has two segments. Consumer Money Transfer, which is sending money from one consumer to another, is the core of the business. It made up 87% of 2025 revenue, and most of those transfers were across borders. Consumer Services made up 13%. Western Union's revenue comes mainly from the fees customers pay to transfer money, and the amount varies by transaction. In August 2025 the company agreed to buy International Money Express (Intermex), a money transfer provider focused on the U.S.
Biggest risks, in its own words
- A drop in customer confidence in Western Union or in money transfer services generally.
- Rules and regulatory changes that could cut its fees, profit margins or foreign exchange spreads.
- Legal limits, political and economic instability and weak infrastructure in some countries where it operates.
- Credit, liquidity and fraud risks from its agents, customers, businesses and payment processors.
- Fiscal year ends
- December 31, 2025
- Latest annual report
- 10-K · Feb 20, 2026
- Legal name
- THE WESTERN UNION COMPANY
- CIK
- 0001365135
Western Union · WU
Results and finances
The last 5 fiscal years. Amounts in USD.
| Fiscal year | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales and profit | |||||
| Revenue | $5.1B | $4.5B | $4.4B | $4.2B | $4.1B |
| Revenue growth | 4.9% | −11.7% | −2.7% | −3.4% | −3.8% |
| Gross margin | 42.9% | 41.3% | 38.7% | 37.8% | 37.0% |
| Operating margin | 22.2% | 19.8% | 18.8% | 17.2% | 18.7% |
| Net income | $806M | $911M | $626M | $934M | $500M |
| Net margin | 15.9% | 20.4% | 14.4% | 22.2% | 12.3% |
| Diluted EPS | $1.97 | $2.34 | $1.68 | $2.74 | $1.52 |
| Cash | |||||
| Cash from operations | $1.0B | $582M | $783M | $406M | $544M |
| Capital expenditure | $37.7M | $31.9M | $22.9M | $37.4M | $38.5M |
| Free cash flow | $1.0B | $550M | $760M | $369M | $505M |
| FCF margin | 19.9% | 12.3% | 17.5% | 8.8% | 12.5% |
| Dividends paid | $382M | $364M | $349M | $322M | $309M |
| Share buybacks | $410M | $370M | $308M | $186M | $235M |
| Share count change | −1.5% | −5.0% | −4.3% | −8.3% | −4.0% |
| Debt and strength | |||||
| Cash and short-term investments | $1.2B | $1.3B | $1.3B | $1.5B | $1.2B |
| Debt incl. finance leases | $3.0B | $2.6B | $2.5B | $2.9B | $2.9B |
| Shareholders' equity | $356M | $478M | $479M | $969M | $958M |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 1.4x | 1.3x | 1.2x | 1.6x | 1.8x |
| Interest coverage | 10.7x | 8.8x | 7.8x | 6.1x | 5.3x |
| Returns and quality | |||||
| Return on capital | 48.6% | 40.3% | 39.0% | 35.0% | 24.0% |
| Return on equity | — | — | 130.9% | 129.0% | 51.9% |
Insiders bought, 12 months
$0.1M
1 insider
Insiders sold, 12 months
$0.2M
2 insiders
Of sales under plans
0%
$0.0M
How to read these numbers
- Revenue:
- Total sales reported in the income statement.
- Operating margin:
- Operating income as a share of revenue.
- Net income:
- Profit after all expenses, interest and tax.
- Free cash flow:
- Cash from operations minus capital spending.
- Net debt / EBITDA:
- Years of EBITDA needed to pay off net debt. Below zero means more cash than debt.
- Return on capital:
- After-tax operating income as a share of the money invested in the business: debt plus equity, minus cash.
Western Union · WU
Charts and comparison
Ten years at a glance, and how it stacks up against similar companies.
Revenue
Net income
Margins, % of revenue
Cash vs debt (incl. leases)
Free cash flow
Dividends and buybacks
Similar companies
Each company’s latest fiscal year. Fiscal years end in different months, so periods don’t line up exactly.
| Company | Market cap | Growth | Op. margin | FCF margin | ROIC | P/E | F-score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Union WU | $1.9B | −3.8% | 18.7% | 12.5% | 24.0% | 5.1x | — |
| Shift4 FOUR | $48.1M | 25.5% | 8.4% | 14.9% | 6.5% | — | 6 |
| Euronet Worldwide EEFT | $3.0B | 6.4% | 12.5% | 10.2% | 29.9% | 10.2x | 7 |
| Affirm AFRM | $24.2B | 32.2% | 9.8% | 23.3% | — | — | — |
| Corpay CPAY | $26.5B | 13.9% | 44.0% | 28.7% | 11.5% | 24.3x | 5 |
Price compared with profit (P/E)
How many times its yearly profit per share one share costs. Higher means investors pay more for each unit of profit.
KIRA
At $6.21 a share, the company is worth $1.9B: 5.1 times its earnings of the last four quarters.
Western Union grew sales faster than 0 of its 4 similar companies. Its P/E is higher than 0 of 2.
Source: SEC EDGAR XBRL filings (CIK 0001365135). Data updated October 11, 2026. For information only — not investment advice. Check the original filings before relying on any figure.