Warner Music Group Corp vs Western Union Co — how do they compare? Warner Music Group Corp trades at $28.16 (market cap $14.66B), while Western Union Co trades at $6.95 (market cap $2.18B). The key difference: Warner Music Group Corp is far larger — about 6.7× Western Union Co's market cap, and Western Union Co pays the higher dividend (13.43%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| WMG | WU | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.66B | $2.18B |
Sector | Media | Technology |
52-Week High | $34.72 | $10.28 |
52-Week Low | $23.65 | $6.36 |
Enterprise Value | $18.96B | $2.09B |
Dividend Yield | 2.85% | 13.43% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Warner Music Group (WMG) trades at $28.03, down 2.61% on the day, with a bearish technical signal. Recent earnings show mixed quarterly beats, with Q1 and Q2 2026 exceeding expectations but Q4 2025 missing. Revenue has grown steadily from $5.9B in 2022 to $6.7B in 2025, though net income margin declined to 5.44%. The company maintains a strong ROE of 25.38% and recently announced a strategic AI music partnership with Suno (Reuters, 2026-09-09).
Outlook is cautiously optimistic with analyst consensus at 66.7% buy ratings. Key opportunities include streaming growth and AI initiatives, while risks involve margin pressure and leadership changes. The stock's valuation at a P/E of 22.42 appears reasonable given growth prospects, but investors should monitor execution on margin improvement and competitive dynamics in the music industry.
Western Union (WU) trades at $7.00, down 2.51% on the day, reflecting a bearish technical trend and mixed earnings performance with recent quarterly misses. Valuation metrics appear attractive with a P/E of 5.65 and P/S of 0.55, but revenue has declined from $4.5B in 2022 to $4.05B in 2025. The company is pursuing a $200 million cost-saving plan by 2027 and expanding its retail footprint through partnerships like Total Wireless, while its pending acquisition of Intermex faces regulatory scrutiny.
The outlook is cautious due to declining revenue, integration risks from the Intermex deal, and a high dividend yield that some analysts view as unsustainable. Near-term catalysts include regulatory approvals for the acquisition and execution of cost-cutting initiatives, but competitive pressures and margin compression pose significant risks to shareholder value.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Warner Music Group is the third largest of the three major global record labels, with Vivendi's Universal Music in first and Sony Music in second. Warner's larger segment, recorded music, consists of iconic labels like Atlantic Records, Warner Records, and Parlophone Records and popular artists such as Ed Sheeran, Cardi B, Dua Lipa, and Blake Shelton. Warner Chappell, the firm's publishing arm, is the home to over 65,000 composers and songwriters with over a million copyrights represented. Warner is controlled by Access Industries, which owns an 84% economic interest and 99% of voting rights.
Read more on WMG →Western Union provides domestic and international money transfers through its global network of about 500,000 outside agents. It is the largest money transfer company in the world and one of only a few companies with a truly global agent network.
Read more on WU →