The Western Union Co. WU is set to report third-quarter 2021 earnings on Nov 2, after the market closes.Q3 Earnings and Revenue EstimatesThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s third-quarter earnings per share is pegged at 58 cents, indicating an increase of 1.75% from the year-ago period’s reported figure. The consensus mark for the same-period revenues stands at $1.31 billion, suggesting 4.09% growth from the year-earlier quarter’s reported number.Let’s see how things have been shaping up for this announcement.Western Union has been making heavy investments in its digital money transfer arm and building a leading omni-channel platform for a while now, which yielded results for the company amid the COVID-induced turmoil.Digital partnerships and constant investments provided a boost to the company’s digital revenues. Based on a robust digital suite, management expects current-year digital revenues to reach around $1 billion, indicating the wave of optimism surrounding the company’s digital business. We thus expect to see increased contribution from the company’s digital platform in the to-be-reported results.Western Union’s Business Solution segment has been witnessing revenue declines since the past many years, except for the year 2019 when it grew 4%. The same was again down 8% in 2020.Revenue weakness was the result of dwindled cross-border trade and the adverse impact of the pandemic on education, travel and tourism as well as the small and medium-sized enterprises. Therefore, this segment is likely to have remained stressed through third-quarter 2021.The company’s margins are expected to have been aided by targeted productivity savings and expense management, led by the WU Way lean program and organizational efficiencies.Earnings Surprise HistoryThe company’s bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters (missing the mark in one), the average beat being 7.08%. This is shown in the chart below: The Western Union Company Price and EPS Surprise The Western Union Company price-eps-surprise | The Western Union Company QuoteWhat Our Quantitative Model PredictsOur proven model does not predict an earnings beat for Western Union this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat but this is not the case here.Earnings ESP: Western Union has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Zacks Rank: Western Union carries a Zacks Rank #3, currently. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Stocks to ConsiderThe following stocks in the payments space are predicted to surpass estimates this reporting cycle.PagSeguro Digital Ltd. PAGS has an Earnings ESP of +31.41% and is presently Zacks #2 Ranked.Square, Inc. SQ has an Earnings ESP of +1.05% and a Zacks Rank of 3, presently.AXOS Financial, Inc. AX has an Earnings ESP of +0.76% and a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It’s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made. The only question is “Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?” Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it’s free. Discover 7 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.Download FREE: How to Profit from Trillions on Spending for Infrastructure >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Western Union Company (WU): Free Stock Analysis Report Square, Inc. (SQ): Free Stock Analysis Report PagSeguro Digital Ltd. (PAGS): Free Stock Analysis Report AXOS FINANCIAL, INC (AX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research