Latest Ratios: P/E Ratio 6.5x · EV/EBITDA 4.7x · ROE 51.9%. (2001–2025 historical series)
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $2.1B | $3.0B | $3.6B | $4.4B | $5.3B | $7.3B | $9.1B | $11.5B | $7.8B | $8.9B | $10.7B |
| Enterprise Value | $3.6B | $4.5B | $4.6B | $5.7B | $6.8B | $9.3B | $10.3B | $13.2B | $9.0B | $9.8B | $11.4B |
| P/E Ratio → | 6.46 | 6.08 | 3.87 | 7.10 | 5.88 | 9.06 | 12.26 | 10.89 | 9.12 | — | 42.59 |
| P/S Ratio | 0.57 | 0.78 | 0.88 | 1.04 | 1.22 | 1.47 | 1.93 | 2.24 | 1.42 | 1.65 | 2.03 |
| P/B Ratio | 2.35 | 3.18 | 3.73 | 9.25 | 11.19 | 20.51 | 48.82 | — | — | — | 11.88 |
| P/FCF | 7.22 | 7.76 | 9.80 | 6.98 | 14.32 | 8.78 | 12.64 | 14.66 | 16.07 | 15.75 | 13.20 |
| P/OCF | 3.95 | 5.61 | 8.90 | 5.66 | 9.20 | 6.98 | 10.38 | 12.62 | 9.44 | 11.99 | 10.29 |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 1.16 | 1.14 | 1.33 | 1.56 | 1.87 | 2.18 | 2.57 | 1.65 | 1.83 | 2.17 |
| EV / EBITDA | 4.69 | 4.76 | 5.13 | 5.66 | 6.40 | 6.98 | 8.62 | 11.07 | 6.46 | 13.34 | 15.31 |
| EV / EBIT | 4.61 | 5.87 | 6.29 | 6.66 | 6.16 | 8.93 | 10.57 | 8.95 | 7.86 | 20.07 | 23.14 |
| EV / FCF | — | 11.50 | 12.58 | 8.92 | 18.32 | 11.19 | 14.27 | 16.77 | 18.59 | 17.39 | 14.08 |
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 29.8% | 29.8% | 38.9% | 39.6% | 42.3% | 43.8% | 42.6% | 42.9% | 42.1% | 40.3% | 40.9% |
| Operating Margin | 20.1% | 20.1% | 17.7% | 19.2% | 20.2% | 22.6% | 20.5% | 18.2% | 20.6% | 8.8% | 9.2% |
| Net Profit Margin | 12.8% | 12.8% | 22.8% | 14.7% | 20.8% | 16.2% | 15.8% | 20.6% | 15.7% | -10.4% | 4.8% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 51.9% | 51.9% | 129.0% | 130.9% | 218.5% | 297.2% | 1012.0% | — | — | -271.2% | 21.9% |
| ROA | 6.0% | 6.0% | 11.3% | 7.5% | 10.5% | 8.8% | 8.2% | 11.9% | 9.3% | -6.0% | 2.7% |
| ROIC | 14.4% | 14.4% | 15.4% | 19.7% | 19.5% | 23.9% | 21.0% | 21.4% | 29.7% | 11.4% | 8.7% |
| ROCE | 13.6% | 13.6% | 13.1% | 16.3% | 13.7% | 22.7% | 29.0% | 33.9% | 40.7% | 13.1% | 10.2% |
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 3.24 | 3.24 | 3.23 | 5.23 | 5.81 | 9.03 | 17.70 | — | — | — | 3.09 |
| Debt / EBITDA | 3.27 | 3.27 | 3.46 | 2.50 | 2.60 | 2.41 | 2.77 | 2.91 | 2.48 | 4.12 | 3.73 |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | 1.53 | 1.06 | 2.58 | 3.12 | 5.63 | 6.31 | — | — | — | 0.80 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 1.54 | 1.54 | 1.13 | 1.23 | 1.40 | 1.50 | 0.99 | 1.39 | 0.87 | 1.26 | 0.96 |
| Debt / FCF | — | 3.73 | 2.78 | 1.95 | 4.00 | 2.41 | 1.63 | 2.10 | 2.51 | 1.65 | 0.88 |
| Interest Coverage | 5.37 | 5.37 | 6.16 | 8.08 | 10.99 | 9.87 | 8.22 | 9.69 | 7.63 | 3.45 | 3.24 |
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 1.13 | 1.13 | 7.12 | 1.03 | 0.84 | 1.04 | 0.93 | 0.87 | 0.75 | 0.84 | 0.91 |
| Quick Ratio | 1.13 | 1.13 | 7.12 | 1.03 | 0.84 | 1.04 | 0.93 | 0.87 | 0.75 | 0.84 | 0.91 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.37 | 0.37 | 2.90 | 0.26 | 0.69 | 0.48 | 0.36 | 0.32 | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.39 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 0.47 | 0.49 | 0.52 | 0.51 | 0.56 | 0.50 | 0.59 | 0.60 | 0.58 | 0.56 |
| Inventory Turnover | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 13.7% | 10.1% | 8.9% | 7.9% | 6.8% | 5.2% | 4.1% | 3.0% | 4.4% | 3.7% | 2.9% |
| Payout Ratio | 61.8% | 61.8% | 34.4% | 55.8% | 40.0% | 47.4% | 49.8% | 32.2% | 40.1% | — | 123.3% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | 15.5% | 16.4% | 25.8% | 14.1% | 17.0% | 11.0% | 8.2% | 9.2% | 11.0% | — | 2.3% |
| FCF Yield | 13.9% | 12.9% | 10.2% | 14.3% | 7.0% | 11.4% | 7.9% | 6.8% | 6.2% | 6.4% | 7.6% |
| Buyback Yield | 10.9% | 7.7% | 5.1% | 7.0% | 6.9% | 5.6% | 2.6% | 4.8% | 5.3% | 5.7% | 4.7% |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 24.6% | 17.8% | 14.0% | 14.8% | 13.7% | 10.9% | 6.7% | 7.7% | 9.7% | 9.3% | 7.6% |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $328M | $341M | $372M | $388M | $409M | $415M | $431M | $454M | $468M | $494M |
Includes 30+ ratios · 23 years · Updated daily
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Quick answers to the most common questions about buying WU stock.
The Western Union Company's current P/E ratio is 6.5x. The historical average is 12.7x. This places it at the 16th percentile of its historical range.
The Western Union Company's current EV/EBITDA is 4.7x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 8.8x.
The Western Union Company's return on equity (ROE) is 51.9%. This is above the typical threshold of 15-20% considered good for most companies. The historical average is 107.1%.
Based on historical data, The Western Union Company is trading at a P/E of 6.5x. This is at the 16th percentile of its historical P/E range. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
The Western Union Company's current dividend yield is 13.71% with a payout ratio of 61.8%.
The Western Union Company has 29.8% gross margin and 20.1% operating margin. Operating margin above 20% indicates strong pricing power and cost efficiency.
The Western Union Company's Debt/EBITDA ratio is 3.3x, indicating high leverage. A ratio between 2-4x is manageable but warrants monitoring.
Key Metrics
Top Statement Risk
Leverage limits earnings buffer
Metrics are mathematically derived from official filings.
Deep Discount Reflects Legacy Franchise Doubts
Based on reported figures, WU trades at 2.35 times book and a 4.50 trailing P/E with a 13.7% dividend yield, pricing the company as a declining cash-transfer asset rather than a durable franchise.
The P/E of 4.50 and forward P/E of 5.35 suggest the market expects earnings to shrink or stay flat rather than compound. Price-to-book of 2.35 looks elevated against a tangible book value per share that is negative at roughly -5.22, which means the book multiple is largely a claim on intangibles and goodwill rather than hard capital. The high dividend yield appears to be the market's primary anchor, and investors should monitor whether the payout remains covered by operating cash flow if earnings continue to decline.
ROE Recovery Rests on Cost Execution
According to recent SEC filings, ROE recovered to 8.6% in 2026Q3 from 6.9% in 2026Q1, but still sits far below the 47.6% reported in 2024Q4, which was inflated by a very thin equity base.
DuPont decomposition shows ROA of roughly 1.0% combined with an equity-to-assets ratio near 0.11, so the ROE of 8.6% is driven largely by leverage of roughly nine times assets to equity. The collapse from 48% ROE in 2024 reflects equity rebuilding rather than an earnings collapse alone. The recent recovery appears to rest on efficiency gains rather than revenue growth, which warrants monitoring given trailing revenue is down 4.7% year over year.
Negative Spread Masks Cost Stabilization
As reported in financial statements, the net interest margin remains negative at -0.4% in 2026Q3 while the efficiency ratio of 21.9% sits close to the prior quarter's 21.0%, suggesting cost control has stabilized rather than stepped down.
A persistently negative NIM reflects that WU's funding and settlement costs exceed its earned spread, so NIM is not a conventional lending measure for this business. The efficiency ratio is stable around 21 to 22 percent, which indicates operating cost discipline has held but has not produced a clear step change. Given the structural negative spread, the efficiency ratio and fee-based income quality are more informative than NIM for judging operating leverage.
Thin Equity Cushion Constrains Capital Return
Based on reported figures, equity-to-assets of about 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24 leave limited loss-absorbing capacity, which may constrain how much capital can be returned without weakening the balance sheet further.
The equity base has rebuilt from roughly $440.8M in 2024Q2 to $890.6M in 2026Q3, but it remains thin relative to total assets near $8.1B. With dividends absorbing most operating cash flow, there appears to be little room for buybacks or deleveraging. Investors should watch whether leverage declines as the Intermex transaction timeline evolves, since higher debt would further compress the capital cushion.
Misapplied Metric: Dividend Yield as Value Signal
The 13.7% dividend yield is the metric most often misread as evidence of undervaluation, yet it may obscure that dividends consume roughly 69% of operating cash flow in 2026Q3.
A high yield on a shrinking revenue base can signal that the market doubts payout sustainability rather than that the stock is cheap. Using free cash flow after dividends and after settlement-related movements, rather than headline yield, gives a clearer picture of coverage. Analysts should adjust for settlement timing and restructuring charges before treating the yield as a durable return.