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Western Union Renews Publix Deal: Can it Support Transaction Growth?
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Key Takeaways
WU renews a 20-plus-year Publix deal, keeping transfers, bill payments and money orders in stores.
WU's North American money transfer revenue fell 9% and transactions slid 5% in Q2 2026.
Publix's 1,432 stores and Kentucky expansion could help Western Union reach more customers.
The Western Union Company (WU - Free Report) recently renewed its partnership with Publix Super Markets, extending a relationship spanning more than two decades. The agreement allows customers to continue accessing domestic and international money transfers, bill payments and money orders at participating Publix stores across the southeastern United States.
It also creates opportunities for Western Union to reach additional customers as Publix expands into new markets, including Kentucky. Publix currently operates 1,432 stores across eight states, employing more than 260,000 people. WU’s network spanning over 200 countries and territories and supporting 130 currencies underscores the scale of its cross-border operations and the role of retail partnerships in maintaining customer access.
Western Union's North American money transfer revenues declined 9% in second-quarter 2026, while transactions fell 5%. As such, the renewal will likely help Western Union protect its retail distribution network while reaching customers who prefer in-person financial services. Publix's growing presence offers opportunities to generate transactions without establishing standalone branches. Keeping services available across Publix stores could therefore help Western Union defend market share and improve customer retention.
Western Union also works with major retailers, including Kroger, Walmart, Albertsons, Walgreens, H-E-B and Giant Eagle. During its second-quarter earnings call, management said it had renewed major retail contracts despite increased competition, with terms broadly similar to previous agreements. These relationships help Western Union maintain its retail presence and protect existing revenue streams amid declining transaction volumes in the U.S. market.
It is also pursuing acquisitions to expand its reach. Its pending $500 million purchase of Intermex would strengthen its U.S. retail network and presence in Latin American remittance corridors, with management targeting $30 million in annual cost savings within two years of closing. However, the deal remains subject to California regulatory approval and a renewed federal antitrust waiting period.
Price Performance
Western Union shares have declined 34.3% in the year-to-date period compared with the 11.7% fall of the industry it belongs to.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Zacks Rank & Key Picks
Western Union currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Mastercard’s current-year earnings indicates 17% year-over-year growth. MA has witnessed three upward estimate revisions over the past 60 days against no cuts. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues indicates 13.6% year-over-year growth.
The consensus estimate for PayPal’s current-year earnings indicates 1.3% year-over-year improvement. PYPL witnessed one upward estimate revision over the past 60 days and no downward movement. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues implies a 4.5% year-over-year rise.
The consensus mark for EVERTEC’s current-year earnings indicates 10.5% year-over-year jump. EVTC witnessed two upward estimate revisions over the past 60 days and no downward movement. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues implies a 17% year-over-year growth.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
Image: Bigstock
Western Union Renews Publix Deal: Can it Support Transaction Growth?
Key Takeaways
The Western Union Company (WU - Free Report) recently renewed its partnership with Publix Super Markets, extending a relationship spanning more than two decades. The agreement allows customers to continue accessing domestic and international money transfers, bill payments and money orders at participating Publix stores across the southeastern United States.
It also creates opportunities for Western Union to reach additional customers as Publix expands into new markets, including Kentucky. Publix currently operates 1,432 stores across eight states, employing more than 260,000 people. WU’s network spanning over 200 countries and territories and supporting 130 currencies underscores the scale of its cross-border operations and the role of retail partnerships in maintaining customer access.
Western Union's North American money transfer revenues declined 9% in second-quarter 2026, while transactions fell 5%. As such, the renewal will likely help Western Union protect its retail distribution network while reaching customers who prefer in-person financial services. Publix's growing presence offers opportunities to generate transactions without establishing standalone branches. Keeping services available across Publix stores could therefore help Western Union defend market share and improve customer retention.
Western Union also works with major retailers, including Kroger, Walmart, Albertsons, Walgreens, H-E-B and Giant Eagle. During its second-quarter earnings call, management said it had renewed major retail contracts despite increased competition, with terms broadly similar to previous agreements. These relationships help Western Union maintain its retail presence and protect existing revenue streams amid declining transaction volumes in the U.S. market.
It is also pursuing acquisitions to expand its reach. Its pending $500 million purchase of Intermex would strengthen its U.S. retail network and presence in Latin American remittance corridors, with management targeting $30 million in annual cost savings within two years of closing. However, the deal remains subject to California regulatory approval and a renewed federal antitrust waiting period.
Price Performance
Western Union shares have declined 34.3% in the year-to-date period compared with the 11.7% fall of the industry it belongs to.
Zacks Rank & Key Picks
Western Union currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks from the broader payments space are Mastercard Incorporated (MA - Free Report) , PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL - Free Report) and EVERTEC, Inc. (EVTC - Free Report) , each currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Mastercard’s current-year earnings indicates 17% year-over-year growth. MA has witnessed three upward estimate revisions over the past 60 days against no cuts. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues indicates 13.6% year-over-year growth.
The consensus estimate for PayPal’s current-year earnings indicates 1.3% year-over-year improvement. PYPL witnessed one upward estimate revision over the past 60 days and no downward movement. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues implies a 4.5% year-over-year rise.
The consensus mark for EVERTEC’s current-year earnings indicates 10.5% year-over-year jump. EVTC witnessed two upward estimate revisions over the past 60 days and no downward movement. The consensus estimate for current-year revenues implies a 17% year-over-year growth.