Earnings Preview: Western Union Company EPS, Revenue Expected to Rise from Previous Quarter

Western Union WU reports its latest earnings this Monday, July 25, 2011. Get prepared with Benzinga's ultimate preview for Western Union Company's second quarter earnings.

Earnings and Revenue:

Analysts are predicting a positive EPS reading of 37 cents per share and revenues of $1.33 billion. We'll have to wait for Monday to see if Western Union Company falls in line with analyst expectations and reports an estimated increase in both EPS and revenue from the year-ago quarter.

Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Quarter	Q1	Q4	Q3	Q2
EPS Estimate	$0.34	$0.35	$0.34	$0.32
EPS Actual	$0.35	$0.38	$0.37	$0.36

Stock Performance:

At last check, shares of Western Union Company were trading at $19.42. Shares are up 5.4% year to date. For a full 12 months, the return has risen by 8.8%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably satisfied going into this earnings release.

• Long-term shareholders are already enjoying 12-month gains prior to the announcement

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for Western Union Company is a Moderate Buy. The strength of this rating has declined slightly over the past three months.

Competitors:

Want to check out the performance of Western Union Company closest competitors? Take a look at some of the company's peers in the information technology sector.

• Global Payments GPN: Hold with a $0.63 recent quarter EPS
• Heartland Payment Systems HPY: Hold with a $0.20 recent quarter EPS
• MasterCard MA: Moderate Buy with a $4.29 recent quarter EPS
• Wright Express WXS: Hold with a $0.75 recent quarter EPS

The construction services company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 1.1% during the current fiscal year.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Western Union Company is engaged in global money transfer and payment services.

Take Action:

There is your peek into Western Union Company's upcoming earnings numbers, including some competitors to watch around the time of the announcement. Check back in with us after the announcement for a full recap of the announcement. In the meantime, here are some links to explore today.

• To see up-to-date news on Western Union Company, click here
• To see other trading ideas, click here
• To see other company earnings recaps, click here