UPS vs WU: Correlation
United Parcel Service (UPS) and Western Union Company (The) (WU) show a moderate relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.44.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are UPS and WU?
Over the past 3 years, UPS and WU moved with a correlation of 0.44, which is moderate. The relationship has been stable: the 1-year correlation (0.52) sits close to the 3-year figure. Over 5 years the correlation is 0.38, and the annualized covariance of weekly returns is 406.8 %².
Among the 34 assets we track against UPS, WU ranks #21 by 3-year correlation. The last year tells two different stories: UPS led by 34.0 percentage points, +28.2% for UPS against -5.8% for WU.
How is this computed?
Pearson correlation on weekly returns: ρ(A,B) = cov(rA, rB) / (σA · σB), over windows of 52, 156 and 260 weeks. Covariance is annualized (×52) and expressed in %². Full definitions on the methodology page.
UPS vs WU: side by side
| UPS (United Parcel Service) | WU (Western Union Company (The)) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +28.2% | -5.8% |
| 5-year return | -31.0% | -49.2% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 29.4% | 31.1% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.81 | 0.48 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -46.5% | -43.2% |
| Market cap | $89.9B | $2.2B |
| P/E (trailing) | 19.6 | 5.9 |
| Dividend yield | 6.21% | 12.95% |
| Sector / category | Industrials | US Listed |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | UPS | WU |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -16.2% | -17.9% |
| 2023 | -6.0% | -6.2% |
| 2024 | -15.9% | -3.8% |
| 2025 | -15.9% | -2.6% |
| 2026 | +11.6% | -18.0% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are UPS and WU good diversifiers for each other?
Reasonably. At 0.44, UPS and WU keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
FAQ
What is the correlation between UPS and WU?
As of 2026-08-27, the correlation of weekly returns between UPS and WU is 0.44 over 3 years, 0.52 over 1 year and 0.38 over 5 years.
Is WU a good diversifier for UPS?
Reasonably. At 0.44, UPS and WU keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
What does a correlation of 0.44 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.44 describes how much the two returns move together: +1 is lockstep, 0 is independence, negative values mean opposite directions. It says nothing about which performed better.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/ups-vs-wu.json
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Free with attribution; caching and terms are described in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: UPS correlations · WU correlations
