Money transfer service Western Union (WU), which I first discussed here on July 9, 2009, at a price of $16.49, continues to ascend, and I still favor the shares. WU cleared psychological resistance at $20 this winter.

In 2011, Western Union will likely generate 3% to 5% revenue growth in 2011, after a modest 1% to 2% rise in 2010.

Continue reading Western Union Pushes Through $20 Resistance

Western Union Pushes Through $20 Resistance originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Money transfer service Western Union (WU), first discussed here on July 9, 2009, at a price of $16.49, continues to see its stock grind higher, and I still like the shares.

Western Union will likely generate 3% to 5% revenue growth in 2011, after a modest 1% to 2% rise in 2010.

The better 2011 performance is expected because the recession in construction work, which reduced day-labor demand for money transfer services, appears to have ended, and the sector is recovering slowly, like Western Union's stock price.

Continue reading Western Union: More Incremental Progress

Western Union: More Incremental Progress originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If in June you held the shares of money transfer service Western Union (WU), first discussed here on July 9, 2009, at a price of $16.49, you're being rewarded, as the shares have rebound in the second half of 2010, after a trying first half.

In FY2010, Western Union will likely post a 2% to 3% revenue gain, followed by a 4% to 5% rise in FY2011. The recession in construction work -- which has reduced day-labor demand for money transfer services -- appears to have ended, and the sector is gradually recovering. Also, emerging markets, particularly those in Asia, offer considerable opportunities for WU.

Continue reading Western Union Is in an Uptrend

Western Union Is in an Uptrend originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One of the most prominent quarterly reports scheduled this week, as the quarter winds down, comes from Walgreen (WAG). Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for the drugstore chain operator to report Tuesday that its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings were about the same as a year ago, or 45 cents per share. Note, though, that Walgreen fell short of earnings expectations in the previous two quarters.

During the three months that ended in August, Deerefield, Ill.-based Walgreen launched a social responsibility website and boosted its dividend. Revenue for that period is expected to total $16.8 billion, which is a 7.3% increase from the same period of last year. And for the full year, analysts forecast EPS of $2.12 (+4.7%) on revenue of $67.4 billion (+6.4%).

Continue reading Week in Preview: Earnings Expectations for Walgreen, Family Dollar, Jabil Circuit

Week in Preview: Earnings Expectations for Walgreen, Family Dollar, Jabil Circuit originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 26 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Western Union Is Trying Investors' Patience

Western Union Is Trying Investors' Patience originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Western Union Is at a Crossroad

Western Union Is at a Crossroad originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• UBS upgraded Starbucks (SBUX) to buy from neutral, citing expectations for sales momentum. The firm raised its price target to $29 from $27.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Sonic (SONC) two notches to overweight from underweight on expectations the company's sales and margin trends are set to improve. The firm raised its target price for shares to $12 from $8.
• BMO Capital upgraded Chicago Bridge & Iron (CBI) to outperform from market perform, citing its outlook for earnings growth. The firm has a $30 target on the stock.
• Clorox (CLX) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Alexion Pharma (ALXN) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• Compellent (CML) was upgraded to buy from hold at ThinkEquity.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CBI, CLX, PBR, PSYS, SWSI, SONC, SBUX, UNH, VRUS, WU ...

Analyst Calls: CBI, CLX, PBR, PSYS, SWSI, SONC, SBUX, UNH, VRUS, WU ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Aflac Inc. (AFL) posted better-than-expected Q4 earnings, though revenue fell short, and offered rosy guidance.
• Avon Products Inc. (AVP) posted Q4 earnings growth that met analysts' expectations but shares sold off.
• Cisco Systems inc. (CSCO) higher Q2 earnings topped the consensus estimate but cash flow fell.
• CME Group Inc. (CME) fell short of analysts' Q4 profit expectations, resulting in price-target cuts.
• ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM) posted better-than-expected Q4 earnings and revenue that boosted shares.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Aflac, Cisco, Exxon, MasterCard, Shell, Time Warner ...

Earnings Highlights: Aflac, Cisco, Exxon, MasterCard, Shell, Time Warner ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Barclays upgraded Visa (V) to overweight from equal weight following the Q1 report and guidance. The firm raised its target to $97 from $91.
• Merriman upgraded AOL (AOL) to neutral from sell on valuation and better trends in online advertising.
• Barrington upgraded Idex (IEX) to outperform from market perform following the results on expectations the company's 2010 sales and profits will recover. The firm set a $36 target on shares.
• Credit Suisse upgraded Rio Tinto (RTP) to neutral from underperform and BHP Billiton (BHP) to outperform from neutral.
• Posco (PKX) was raised to overweight from neutral at HSBC.
• MetLife (MET) was upgraded at Keefe Bruyette to outperform from market perform.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AOL, DWA, EMS, MET, OCNW, SYNA, V, WU ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AOL, DWA, EMS, MET, OCNW, SYNA, V, WU ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• B. Riley upgraded Finish Line (NASDAQ: FINL) to Buy from Neutral to reflect the potential for improving trends in second half of 2009. The firm raised its target on shares to $10.50 from $9.
• Merriman upgraded OptionXpress (NASDAQ: OXPS) to Neutral from Sell following the company's better than expected Q2 results. The firm notes higher commissions per trade more than offset weak DARTs and the decline in customer additions in the quarter.
• RBC Capital upgraded Gardner Denver (NYSE: GDI) to Outperform from Sector Perform and raised its target to $34 from $28 citing the additional scale of restructuring, better tone to end-markets, and few downside catalysts. Baird upgraded Gardner Denver to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $35 from $32 based on a bottom in fundamentals and compelling valuation.
• BE Aerospace (NASDAQ: BEAV) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at FBR Capital.
• Shire (NASDAQ: SHPGY) was upgraded to Perform from Underperform at Oppenheimer.
• UnitedHealth (NYSE: UNH) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BA, EXEL, FINL, NTAP, UNH, WU ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BA, EXEL, FINL, NTAP, UNH, WU ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you've been watching earnings this past week, or if you read last week's Week in Preview, then this coming week may leave you feeling a bit like Bill Murray in Groundhog's Day. That is, again analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect earnings declines to be more frequent and deeper than earnings gains.

Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT), Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW), Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC), IAC Interactivecorp (NASDAQ: IACI), Moody's Corp. (NYSE: MCO), Elizabeth Arden Inc. (NASDAQ: RDEN), Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN), Diebold Inc. (NYSE: DBD), Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC), United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS), Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL), ITT Corp. (NYSE: ITT), and Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) are scheduled to report quarterly results this week, and they're all expected to report double-digit declines in earnings.

But again this week, let's take a look who Wall Street feels may have done well in the past quarter.

Continue reading The week in preview: High hopes for MasterCard, Avon, Aflac, Northrop Grumman

The week in preview: High hopes for MasterCard, Avon, Aflac, Northrop Grumman originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) provides a range of money transfer and bill payment services worldwide. Its consumer-to-consumer operations involve multi-currency and real-time processing systems for walk-in, online, and telephone money transfers. Its consumer-to-business operations enable payments to utilities, auto finance companies, mortgage servicers, financial service providers, and governmental agencies. The firm also offers money order products and advance payment services. Western Union does business through a network of more than 345,000 locations, in over 200 countries and territories.

Investors were pleased last week, when the company guided Y08 EPS to the higher end of the range $1.25-$1.29 and revenues to the higher end of the range $5.341-$5.439 billion. Analysts had been expecting $1.28 and $5.420 billion. Management also raised its long-term EPS growth objective from 12-14% to 15-18%, reaffirmed its long-term revenue growth objective of 10-12%, and announced that the board had authorized an additional $1 billion for share repurchases.

Continue reading Western Union Company (WU): Shares define bullish 'flag' formation

Western Union Company (WU): Shares define bullish 'flag' formation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Best Buy Inc. (NYSE: BBY) beat Q1 estimates as consumers spent their government stimulus checks.
• Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL) posted better than-expected Q2 results but offered cautious Q3 guidance.
• Cyberonics Inc. (NASDAQ: CYBX) beat Q4 expectations and offered full-year guidance.
• FactSet Research Systems (NYSE: FDS) had better-than-expected Q3 results and 500 new subscribers.
• General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS) raised its full-year guidance, sending shares up near the 52-week high.
• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) results beat the previous quarter and analysts' estimates.
• John Wiley & Sons Inc. (NYSE: JW.A) doubled its Q4 earnings due to an acquisition.
• Life Partners Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LPHI) lifted its Q1 outlook after "best quarter" in company history.
• Lindsay Corp. (NYSE: LNN) Q3 profits nearly doubled, but the share price plunged anyway.
• Meade Instruments Corp. (NASDAQ: MEAD) narrowed its full-year net loss due to restructuring.
• Pall Corp. (NYSE: PLL) beat Q1 expectations on sales growth that was broadly based across markets.
• Titan Machinery Inc. (NASDAQ: TITN) beat Q1 estimates on strong demand for agricultural equipment.
• Vermont Pure Holdings Ltd. (AMEX: VPS) posted strong Q2 results despite a bad debt write-off.
• Western Union Co. (NYSE: WU) said 2008 profits would beat estimates and announced share buyback.

More earnings highlights from this week: Morgan Stanley, FedEx, Ford, GE, Circuit City and others

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Goldman Sachs, Best Buy, General Mills, Carnival and others

Earnings highlights: Goldman Sachs, Best Buy, General Mills, Carnival and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Western Union (WU) soars on guidance, buyback plan originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• AFLAC Inc. (NYSE: AFL) reported better-than-expected earnings for the first quarter.
• Ambac Financial Group Inc. (NYSE: ABK) posted a wider-than-expected loss; shares hit new low.
• Amdocs Ltd. (NYSE: DOX) beat Q2 estimates on strength in the managed services businesses.
• Amphenol Corp. (NYSE: APH) beat expectations in the first quarter and raised its guidance.
• Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AMLN) posted a larger-than-estimated Q1 loss.
• Aptar Group Inc. (NYSE: ATR) posted record Q1 results and raised its Q2 guidance.
• Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) Q1 earnings plunged on further housing-related write-downs.
• Brinker International Inc. (NYSE: EAT) narrowly beat earnings expectations on cost cutting.
• Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) beat analysts' estimates for the first quarter.
• Credit Suisse Group (NYSE: CS) reported a wider-than-forecast loss on subprime-related write-downs.
• Cree Inc. (NYSE: CREE) earnings slipped while revenues soared 29%.
• Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) reported worse-than-expected Q1 earnings on discontinued product charge.
• Gannet Inc. (NYSE: GCI) beat low expectations as earnings and revenue continue slump.
• Hasbro Inc. (NYSE: HAS) posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings on international strength.
• JAKKS Pacific Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) missed Q1 expectations on restructuring and litigation costs.
• Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE: KMB) beat EPS estimates by a penny, as revenue jumped 10%.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Bank of America, Merck, Mattel, Phillip Morris, AFLAC and others

Earnings highlights: Bank of America, Merck, Mattel, Phillip Morris, AFLAC and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of the world's largest payment transfer company, Western Union Co. (NYSE: WU), have been rallying in today's trading after the company reported a strong quarterly profit, helped by favorable exchange rates that lifted international business. Strong growth came especially from India and China, but the domestic market too provided significant revenue growth on higher demand for electronic bill payment services.

For the quarter, Western Union said that its profit jumped 7% to $207 million, or 27 cents a share, helped by strong gains from its international business. These numbers are up from $193.2 million, or 25 cents a share, reported in the same period a year earlier. Included in the company's earnings figures was $24 million related to restructuring charges. Excluding that, Western Union's earnings would have come at 29 cents per share, exceeding analysts' forecasts for a quarterly profit of 28 cents a share.

Western Union posted a respectable growth of 12% year-over-year, climbing to $1.3 billion. During the period, Western Union benefited from the slumping dollar, a major driver for its international business. Analysts expected the company show revenue of $1.24 billion in the first-quarter, according to Thomson Financial.

Continue reading Western Union (WU) reports surprising quarterly earnings numbers

Western Union (WU) reports surprising quarterly earnings numbers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Western Union used to transmit telegrams like: Dear George, my office authorized a transfer of up to fifty thousand dollars to the Bailey Building & Loan STOP Then the advent of the telephone substantially reduced telegram traffic STOP

Next came the Internet and e-mail, which not only reduced telegram traffic to a crawl, it also decreased hard-copy letter writing, as the U.S. Postal Service will confirm.

Since that time The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) has focused on its consumer money transfer service, or moneygrams, and the results have been impressive. Analysts expect 11-14% revenue growth in FY 2008 on higher transaction fees and foreign exchange fees.

Continue reading With Western Union, think moneygrams, not telegrams

With Western Union, think moneygrams, not telegrams originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The earnings crunch continues, and here are a few of the highlights of this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) posted its biggest quarterly loss since its creation in 2006.
• Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM) missed earnings estimates despite revenue up 50%.
• Biogen Idec Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) fourth-quarter profit soared on strong sales of Avonex and Tysabri.
• Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) reported record profits due to surging oil prices.
• CNET Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: CNET) revenue rose but the forecast was not encouraging.
• Data Domain Inc. (NASDAQ: DDUP) third-quarter revenues spiked due to aggressive overseas expansion.
• Elizabeth Arden Inc. (NASDAQ: RDEN) benefitted from overseas growth, which offset weak holiday sales.
• GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) warned that 2008 earnings would be affected by competition from generics.
• Harris Corp. (NYSE: HRS) beat estimates and raised its guidance.
• Micros Systems (NASDAQ: MCRS) beat expectations and offered guidance in line with estimates.
• News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) fell short of earnings expectations despite strength in MySpace and Fox News.
• PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP) results met estimates and it announced further share buybacks.
• Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL) beat estimates and raised its guidance.
• SiRF Technology Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRF) missed expectations due to a seasonal decline.
• Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) expects to report its seventh straight quarterly revenue decline.
• Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) attributed solid earnings to growth in China, Russia, emerging markets.
• Wendy's International Inc. (NYSE: WEN) missed earnings estimates, despite beating revenue forecast.
• Western Union Co. (NYSE: WU) posted results just ahead of Wall Street estimates.
• Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) posted solid results on overseas growth and share buybacks.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: PepsiCo, Toyota, News Corp., ADM, Toll Bros. and others

Earnings highlights: PepsiCo, Toyota, News Corp., ADM, Toll Bros. and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) provides a range of money transfer and bill payment services worldwide. Its consumer-to-consumer operations involve multi-currency and real-time processing systems for walk-in, online, and telephone money transfers. Its consumer-to-business operations enable payments to utilities, auto finance companies, mortgage servicers, financial service providers, and governmental agencies. The firm also offers money order products and advance payment services. Western Union does business through a network of more than 335,000 locations, in over 200 countries and territories.

Investors were pleased with the company's steady results last week, when it reported Q4 EPS of 32 cents and revenues of $1.31 billion. Analysts had been looking for 31 cents and $1.3 billion. Management also guided FY08 EPS to $1.24-$1.28 ($1.26 consensus) and FY08 revenues to $5.34-$5.44 billion ($5.39B consensus). Goldman Sachs Asset Management noted that it held a 6.1 percent stake in the issue.

Continue reading Western Union Company (WU): Shares defining bullish 'flag' consolidation

Western Union Company (WU): Shares defining bullish 'flag' consolidation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Banc of America upgraded shares of Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) to Buy from Neutral as they believe the company's three year growth strategy and the approval of Tysabri for the treatment of Crohn's disease will support a higher valuation.
  
• Oppenheimer upgraded Western Union (NYSE: WU) to Outperform from Perform, citing improving operating margins, easing comps, and improvement in Mexico.
  
• Tibco Software (NASDAQ: TIBX) was raised to Buy from Hold at Citigroup. The firm upgraded shares following the acquisition of BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS) to reflect the company's takeout potential and limited downside.

• Royal Ahold (OTC: AHONY) was upgraded to Hold from Sell at Deutsche Bank.
  
• Bear upgraded eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) to Outperform from Peer Perform.
  
• Morgan Stanley raised Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) to Overweight from Equal Weight.

Analyst upgrades: Biogen Idec, Western Union, Tibco originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.