Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Green Dot Corporation (GDOT) vs The Western Union Company (WU) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | GDOT | 14.8% revenue growth vs WU's -4.0% |
| Value | WU | Lower P/E (5.3x vs 7.8x) |
| Quality / Margins | WU | 12.4% net margin vs GDOT's -1.5% |
| Stability / Safety | WU | Beta 0.71 vs GDOT's 1.36 |
| Dividends | WU | 9.8% yield; 11-year raise streak; GDOT pays no meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | GDOT | +51.1% vs WU's -2.4% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | WU | 6.0% ROA vs GDOT's -0.8%, ROIC 23.3% vs -0.1% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Green Dot is a financial technology and banking platform that provides prepaid debit cards, checking accounts, and money movement services to consumers and businesses. It generates revenue primarily through interchange fees from card transactions, monthly account maintenance fees, and service fees from its business-to-business money processing operations. The company's key advantage is its extensive retail distribution network—with cards sold at over 100,000 retail locations—which creates significant scale and brand recognition in the prepaid financial services market.
Western Union is a global money transfer and payment services company that enables consumers and businesses to send money across borders. It generates revenue primarily from transaction fees on money transfers — with its Consumer-to-Consumer segment accounting for the vast majority — supplemented by foreign exchange spreads and business payment solutions. Its key competitive advantage is an extensive global agent network spanning over 200 countries and territories, creating a physical presence that digital-only competitors cannot easily replicate.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
WU leads in 4 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). GDOT leads in 1 (Valuation Metrics).
Financial Metrics (TTM)
WU is the larger business by revenue, generating $4.0B annually — 2.3x GDOT's $1.7B. WU is the more profitable business, keeping 12.4% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to GDOT's -1.5%.
| Metric | GDOTGreen Dot Corpora… | WUThe Western Union… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $1.7B | $4.0B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $139M | $934M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$47M | $500M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $97M | $393M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +33.6% | +28.7% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -0.1% | +19.4% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -1.5% | +12.4% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +0.4% | +9.7% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | — | — |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -2.7% | -68.1% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | GDOTGreen Dot Corpora… | WUThe Western Union… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $641M | $3.0B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | -$892M | $1.8B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -23.12x | 6.29x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | 7.76x | 5.35x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | -10.74x | 1.90x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 0.37x | 0.75x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 0.71x | 3.29x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 90.29x | 7.74x |
Profitability & Efficiency
WU delivers a 52.2% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $52 in annual profit, vs $-5 for GDOT.
| Metric | GDOTGreen Dot Corpora… | WUThe Western Union… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -5.1% | +52.2% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -0.8% | +6.0% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | -0.1% | +23.3% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | -0.2% | +12.5% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 5 | 5 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.07x | — |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$1.5B | -$1.2B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $1.6B | $1.2B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $60M | $0 |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 16.56x | 5.35x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in WU five years ago would be worth $6,052 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $2,363 for GDOT. Over the past 12 months, GDOT leads with a +51.1% total return vs WU's -2.4%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors WU at -1.3% vs GDOT's -15.2% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | GDOTGreen Dot Corpora… | WUThe Western Union… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | -8.3% | +4.3% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +51.1% | -2.4% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -38.9% | -3.9% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -76.4% | -39.5% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -44.0% | -0.7% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -15.2% | -1.3% |
Risk & Volatility
WU is the less volatile stock with a 0.71 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than GDOT's 1.36 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. WU currently trades 80.6% from its 52-week high vs GDOT's 75.0% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | GDOTGreen Dot Corpora… | WUThe Western Union… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 1.36x | 0.71x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $15.41 | $11.95 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $6.12 | $7.85 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +75.0% | +80.6% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 43.5 | 49.4 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 584K | 6.6M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates GDOT as "Hold" and WU as "Hold". Consensus price targets imply 23.3% upside for GDOT (target: $14) vs -6.5% for WU (target: $9). WU is the only dividend payer here at 9.79% yield — a key consideration for income-focused portfolios.
| Metric | GDOTGreen Dot Corpora… | WUThe Western Union… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Hold | Hold |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $14.25 | $9.00 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 39 | 48 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | +9.8% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | — | 11 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | $0.94 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | +7.7% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Dot Corporati… (GDOT) | 100 | 35.79 | -64.2% |
| The Western Union C… (WU) | 100 | 40.53 | -59.5% |
The Western Union C… (WU) returned -39% over 5 years vs Green Dot Corporati… (GDOT)'s -76%.
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Dot Corporati… (GDOT) | $726M | $1.7B | +137.4% |
| The Western Union C… (WU) | $5.4B | $4.0B | -25.5% |
The Western Union Company's revenue grew from $5.4B (2016) to $4.0B (2025) — a -3.2% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Dot Corporati… (GDOT) | 5.7% | -1.5% | -127.0% |
| The Western Union C… (WU) | 4.7% | 12.4% | +164.8% |
The Western Union Company's net margin went from 5% (2016) to 12% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 9 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Dot Corporati… (GDOT) | 37.4 | 76.2 | +103.7% |
| The Western Union C… (WU) | 9.1 | 6.1 | -33.0% |
Green Dot Corporation has traded in a 12x–133x P/E range over 7 years; current trailing P/E is ~-23x. The Western Union Company has traded in a 4x–12x P/E range over 8 years; current trailing P/E is ~6x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Dot Corporati… (GDOT) | 0.8 | -0.5 | -162.5% |
| The Western Union C… (WU) | 0.51 | 1.53 | +200.0% |
The Western Union Company's EPS grew from $0.51 (2016) to $1.53 (2025) — a 13% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Green Dot Corporation generated $7M FCF in 2024 (-94% vs 2021). The Western Union Company generated $393M FCF in 2025 (-53% vs 2021).
GDOT vs WU: Frequently Asked Questions
9 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is GDOT or WU a better buy right now?
The Western Union Company (WU) offers the better valuation at 6.3x trailing P/E (5.3x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Green Dot Corporation (GDOT) a "Hold" — based on 39 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which has the better valuation — GDOT or WU?
On forward P/E, The Western Union Company is actually cheaper at 5.3x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — GDOT or WU?
Over the past 5 years, The Western Union Company (WU) delivered a total return of -39.5%, compared to -76.4% for Green Dot Corporation (GDOT). A $10,000 investment in WU five years ago would be worth approximately $6K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: WU returned -0.7% versus GDOT's -44.0%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — GDOT or WU?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), The Western Union Company (WU) is the lower-risk stock at 0.71β versus Green Dot Corporation's 1.36β — meaning GDOT is approximately 92% more volatile than WU relative to the S&P 500.
05Which has better profit margins — GDOT or WU?
The Western Union Company (WU) is the more profitable company, earning 12.4% net margin versus -1.5% for Green Dot Corporation — meaning it keeps 12.4% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: WU leads at 19.4% versus -0.1% for GDOT. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — GDOT leads at 33.6%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
06Is GDOT or WU more undervalued right now?
On forward earnings alone, The Western Union Company (WU) trades at 5.3x forward P/E versus 7.8x for Green Dot Corporation — 2.4x cheaper on a one-year earnings basis. Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for GDOT: 23.3% to $14.25.
07Which pays a better dividend — GDOT or WU?
In this comparison, WU (9.8% yield) pays a dividend. GDOT does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.
08Is GDOT or WU better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, The Western Union Company (WU) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.71), 9.8% yield). Both have compounded well over 10 years (WU: -0.7%, GDOT: -44.0%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
09What are the main differences between GDOT and WU?
Both stocks operate in the Financial Services sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. In terms of investment character: GDOT is a small-cap quality compounder stock; WU is a small-cap deep-value stock. WU pays a dividend while GDOT does not, making them suitable for different income and tax situations. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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