Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat: What do think of Western Union as a long-term investment? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

A: Western Union Co., $18.94, symbol WU on New York (Shares outstanding: 460.7 million; Market cap: $8.5 billion; www.westernunion.com), offers global money transfer services through more than 550,000 agent locations in over 200 countries. Western Union gets about 70% its revenue from the fees it charges its retail customers to transfer money around the world. Business customers receive more complex services, including currency management, hedging and bill payments; they contribute the balance of the revenue. Over the five years from 2013 to 2017, the company’s revenue declined from $5.54 billion to $5.52 billion. Its earnings, excluding one-time items, grew 6.8%, from $798.4 million in 2013 to $852.4 million in 2014. Due to fewer shares outstanding, per-share earnings jumped 13.3%, from $1.43 to $1.59. The company’s total earnings in 2015 fell to $852.4 million, but earnings per share rose to $1.62. Per-share earnings improved to $1.66 a share (or a total of $824.2 million) in 2016. They then dropped to $1.60 a share (or $718.0…