Western Union (WU) Reports In-Line Q4 EPS, Revenues Miss; Offers FY19 EPS Mid-Point Guidance Below Consensus

Western Union (NYSE: WU) reported Q4 EPS of $0.49, in-line with the analyst estimate of $0.49. Revenue for the quarter came in at $1.4 billion versus the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion.

“Strong digital growth continues to drive our results,” said president and CEO Hikmet Ersek. “Westernunion.com money transfer transaction growth accelerated to 25% in the quarter, while overall margins were solid. Our customers have consistently demonstrated their resilience, even in periods of slowing global economic growth.”

Ersek added, “In 2018 we made important strategic progress. We feel confident about our operations and business. In 2019 we will continue to execute our strategy to deliver strong digital expansion, offer our cross-border platform to new payments areas, and generate additional operating efficiencies.”

The new quarterly dividend of $0.20 per common share, which represents a 5% increase over the previous dividend of $0.19, is payable March 29, 2019 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 15, 2019.

Executive vice president and CFO Raj Agrawal stated, “Efficient cost management and our WU Way programs helped us deliver stable profit margins and solid cash flow in 2018. We returned over $740 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases last year and are pleased to announce today a 5% increase in our quarterly dividend.”

GUIDANCE:

Western Union sees FY2019 EPS of $1.83-$1.95, versus the consensus of $1.94.

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Western Union (WU) click here.

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