August 15, 2024
Top 10 Stock Western Union Hold Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: Western Union – Top 10 Stock in Employee Satisfaction Leaders in the United States
Western Union is listed as a top 10 stock on August 15, 2024 in the market index Employee Focus US because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Only the Obermatt Value Rank exhibits above-average performance, which means that the stock is seen as critical by the professional community and other financial facts are below average, conveying mixed investment signals. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 40 (40% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Western Union on August 15, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Data Processing & Outsourcing |
| Index | Dividends USA, Employee Focus US, Diversity USA, S&P 500 |
| Size class | X-Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View Western Union Hold
| 360 METRICS | August 15, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 96 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 11 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 11 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 21 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 40 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 40 (better than 40% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Western Union are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Western Union. Only the consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 96, which means that the share price of Western Union is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means that the stock price is lower than for 96% of alternative stocks in the same industry. All other consolidated ranks are below average. The consolidated Growth Rank has a low rank of 11, which means that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. The consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 11, meaning the company has a riskier financing structure than 89% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. Finally, professionals are more pessimistic about the stock than for 79% of alternative investment opportunities, reflected in the consolidated Sentiment Rank of 21. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 40, Western Union is worse than 60% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Only one of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibits above-average performance, namely the Value Rank at a level of 96. All other ranks are below average, so proceed with caution. The company has below-average growth expectations (Growth Rank of 11), a riskier financing structure than the competition (Safety Rank of 11), and the market sentiment in the professional investor community ranking at (Sentiment Rank of 21) is negative. This combination is sensitive to a crisis, because high debt levels (low safety) require growth to finance the debt burden. It’s no wonder that the investor community indicators are skeptical (low sentiment). Good value is sometimes an indication that the company's future is challenging. The below-par growth performance may be the reason for this assessment. We recommend evaluating whether the future of Western Union is as challenging as the low price of the stock suggests. Since the professional community is pessimistic, you might need to worry about the future of Western Union. Only invest if you have solid reasons to believe that the low growth is temporary and the current market sentiment is an overreaction, possibly due to reputational issues in the past. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Western Union negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 21 (better than 21% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Western Union is critical, mostly below average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Western Union. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 1 (worse than 99% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. Worse, Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 36, which means that stock research experts are getting even more pessimistic. Other sentiment indicators are positive: The Professional Investors rank is 52, which means that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 52% of alternative investment opportunities. So, pros tend to favor investing in this company. In addition, Market Pulse has a rank of 53, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be positive when discussing this company (more positive news than for 53% of competitors). While stock research analysts are getting ever more critical, many professional investors are committed to Western Union and the professional news channels are on the positive side. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 21 (less encouraging than 79% compared with investment alternatives), Western Union has a reputation among professional investors that is far below that of its competitors. This is an ambiguous picture: analysts are negative and getting even more critical, while the news in the market is positive. Who should investors believe? This is a difficult question in such a situation. Investors should proceed cautiously and verify not only the financial performance in the Obermatt Value, Growth and Safety Ranks but also independent news coverage of the company. ...read more
Value Strategy: Western Union Stock Price Value at the top
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 96 (better than 96% compared with alternatives) for 2022, Western Union shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for Western Union. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 84, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 84% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Western Union's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 94% of alternatives. It is also positive for expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 96 (dividends are expected to be higher than 96% of other stocks). But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is higher than average, making the stock more expensive. Only 83% of all competitors have an even higher price compared with book capital which puts the Price-to-Capital Rank for Western Union to 17. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 96, is a buy recommendation based on Western Union's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. A low level of book capital means that the company has a business that is leaner in assets than its competitors. For instance, the company could be leasing its production facilities or be more focussed on intellectual property, such as its brand and software, which is less visible in its book capital. If that is the case, the three good value ranks for Sales, Profits, and Dividends are reliable indicators for the stock price value. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Western Union Growth Momentum negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 11 (better than 11% compared with alternatives), Western Union shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Western Union. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 1, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 99% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 19, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 18. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 82% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 55, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 55% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 11, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for Western Union, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Western Union Debt Financing Safety risky
| SAFETY METRICS | August 15, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 9 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 8 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 82 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 11 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 11 (better than 11% compared with alternatives), the company Western Union has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Western Union is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for Western Union. Liquidity is at 82, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 82% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 8, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 92% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 9, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 91% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 11 (worse than 89% compared with alternatives), Western Union has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Western Union Lowest Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | August 15, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 96 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 11 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 82 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 18 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 18 (worse than 82% compared with investment alternatives), Western Union (Data Processing & Outsourcing, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Western Union are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 96 (better than 96% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 11), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 11), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 18, is a sell recommendation based on Western Union's financial characteristics. As the company Western Union's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 96) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 11) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 11), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 96% of comparable companies, may indicate the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity. ...read more
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