Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $134.33.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GPN. Stephens downgraded shares of Global Payments from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $125.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Global Payments from $156.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $122.00 target price (down from $155.00) on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Global Payments from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Global Payments from $138.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Global Payments

In other Global Payments news, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 5,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $116.00 per share, for a total transaction of $672,800.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 42,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,957,608. This trade represents a 15.70 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.98% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Global Payments

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GPN. Cromwell Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of Global Payments in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Global Payments during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new stake in Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Global Payments during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Global Payments Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of Global Payments stock opened at $105.51 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $109.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.95. The company has a market cap of $26.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.07, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.01. Global Payments has a 12-month low of $91.60 and a 12-month high of $140.38.

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

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.18%.

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.