Natural Investments LLC Acquires Shares of 10,360 Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN)

Natural Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 10,360 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,160,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Global Payments during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Global Payments during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Global Payments during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. bought a new position in Global Payments during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Global Payments by 177.5% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 469 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. 89.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on GPN shares. StockNews.com upgraded Global Payments from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 target price (down previously from $155.00) on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Global Payments from $166.00 to $163.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Global Payments from $138.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Global Payments from $156.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.33.

Global Payments Stock Down 3.8 %

Shares of NYSE:GPN opened at $93.35 on Wednesday. Global Payments Inc. has a 1 year low of $91.60 and a 1 year high of $140.38. The company has a market cap of $23.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $107.19 and its 200 day moving average is $108.51.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last posted its earnings results 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). Global Payments had a return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 15.54%. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Global Payments Inc. will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.18%.

Insider Transactions at Global Payments

In other Global Payments news, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 5,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $116.00 per share, with a total value of $672,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 42,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,957,608. The trade was a 15.70 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.98% of the company’s stock.

About Global Payments

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.