CSG Systems International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSGS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of CSG Systems International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSGS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $71.71.

Several equities analysts recently commented on CSGS shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of CSG Systems International from $58.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of CSG Systems International in a research note on Friday, February 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of CSG Systems International from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of CSG Systems International from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of CSG Systems International from $51.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

CSG Systems International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CSGS opened at $64.30 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $1.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.15, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.51. CSG Systems International has a one year low of $39.56 and a one year high of $67.60.

CSG Systems International (NASDAQ:CSGS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The technology company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.20. CSG Systems International had a net margin of 7.25% and a return on equity of 39.42%. Research analysts predict that CSG Systems International will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CSG Systems International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 19th. This is an increase from CSG Systems International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. CSG Systems International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ronald Cooper sold 9,000 shares of CSG Systems International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $599,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 41,561 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,768,793.82. This trade represents a 17.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CSG Systems International

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its holdings in CSG Systems International by 25.8% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 18,033 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $922,000 after purchasing an additional 3,701 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in CSG Systems International by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 17,809 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P grew its holdings in CSG Systems International by 32.0% in the fourth quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 23,492 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,201,000 after purchasing an additional 5,700 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in CSG Systems International in the fourth quarter worth $925,000. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in CSG Systems International in the fourth quarter worth $4,222,000. 91.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About CSG Systems International

CSG Systems International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides revenue management and digital monetization, customer experience, and payment solutions primarily to the communications industry in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It offers Advanced Convergent Platform, a private SaaS platform; and related solutions, including service technician management, analytics, electronic bill presentment, etc.