Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Wednesday morning.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Global Payments from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Global Payments from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays increased their price target on Global Payments from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Global Payments from $126.00 to $122.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Global Payments from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Global Payments currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $135.71.

Global Payments Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE GPN opened at $108.41 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $114.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $106.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Global Payments has a 1 year low of $91.60 and a 1 year high of $141.77. The firm has a market cap of $27.59 billion, a PE ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.00.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. Global Payments’s payout ratio is 18.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 5,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $116.00 per share, with a total value of $672,800.00. Following 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.98% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of GPN. Choreo LLC bought a new position in Global Payments during the 2nd quarter valued at $337,000. BOKF NA raised its holdings in shares of Global Payments by 690.8% in the second quarter. BOKF NA now owns 1,202 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Global Payments by 2.8% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 652,394 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $63,086,000 after purchasing an additional 17,597 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Global Payments by 10.9% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,957,914 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $189,307,000 after purchasing an additional 193,137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Global Payments in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,730,000. Institutional investors own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

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.