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

Shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $145.68.

GPN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their price objective on Global Payments from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Global Payments from $129.00 to $105.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Global Payments in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $100.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Global Payments from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Global Payments from $158.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd.

Insider Activity at Global Payments

In related news, VP Andrea M. Carter sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.34, for a total transaction of $367,422.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 25,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,806,770.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.98% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new position in Global Payments during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Global Payments during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. West Paces Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Global Payments by 54.5% during the 1st quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 309 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Global Payments Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:GPN opened at $95.65 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $106.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Global Payments has a 12-month low of $91.60 and a 12-month high of $141.77. The firm has a market cap of $24.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.98.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The business services provider reported $2.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.07. Global Payments had a return on equity of 11.72% and a net margin of 13.40%. The firm had revenue of $2.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.17 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Global Payments will post 11.08 EPS for the current year.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.84%.

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.