Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) Given “Positive” Rating at Susquehanna

Susquehanna reiterated their positive rating on shares of Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $147.00 price target on the business services provider’s stock.

GPN has been the subject of several other research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Global Payments from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Global Payments from $172.00 to $158.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Global Payments from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Global Payments from $124.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on Global Payments from $152.00 to $125.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $140.96.

Global Payments Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of Global Payments stock opened at $112.07 on Tuesday. Global Payments has a twelve month low of $91.60 and a twelve month high of $141.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.24, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $104.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $110.36.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The business services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.03. Global Payments had a return on equity of 11.93% and a net margin of 14.26%. The company had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.32 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Global Payments will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. Global Payments’s payout ratio is presently 19.84%.

Insider Transactions at Global Payments

In related news, CAO David M. Sheffield sold 1,651 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.73, for a total value of $166,305.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 20,531 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,068,087.63. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.98% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Global Payments

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GPN. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in Global Payments during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Global Payments in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. West Paces Advisors Inc. grew its position in Global Payments by 54.5% in the first 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 in the last quarter. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its position in Global Payments by 154.7% in the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 354 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.