Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) Shares Sold by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE decreased its stake in shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,400 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,822 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Global Payments were worth $4,976,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the third quarter worth $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the third quarter worth $33,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Global Payments by 177.5% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 469 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Global Payments by 94.4% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 517 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Global Payments

In other Global Payments news, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 5,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $116.00 per share, for a total transaction of $672,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 42,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,957,608. This trade represents a 15.70 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.98% of the company’s stock.

Global Payments Price Performance

Shares of GPN opened at $100.32 on Thursday. Global Payments Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.60 and a 1-year high of $140.38. The stock has a market cap of $24.84 billion, a PE ratio of 16.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.04. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $108.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $108.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.98 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. Global Payments had a net margin of 15.54% and a return on equity of 12.21%. As a group, analysts forecast that Global Payments Inc. will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Global Payments from $166.00 to $163.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 price target (down from $155.00) on shares of Global Payments in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Global Payments from $138.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Global Payments from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.33.

Global Payments Company Profile

Global Payments Inc provides payment technology and software solutions for card, check, and digital-based payments in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates through two segments, Merchant Solutions and Issuer Solutions. The Merchant Solutions segment offers authorization, settlement and funding, customer support, chargeback resolution, terminal rental, sales and deployment, payment security, and consolidated billing and reporting services.