Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) Downgraded to Hold at Seaport Res Ptn

Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning, Zacks.com reports. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Global Payments’ Q1 2025 earnings at $2.65 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $2.93 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $12.21 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on GPN. BTIG Research cut Global Payments from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Global Payments from $172.00 to $158.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Global Payments in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. They set an equal weight rating and a $100.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna reissued a positive rating and issued a $147.00 price objective on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their target price on shares of Global Payments from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $141.36.

Global Payments Trading Down 6.5 %

NYSE:GPN opened at $97.06 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Global Payments has a 52-week low of $91.60 and a 52-week high of $141.77. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $105.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.70. The company has a market capitalization of $24.70 billion, a PE ratio of 19.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.98.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The business services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.03. Global Payments had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The firm had revenue of $2.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. Global Payments’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Global Payments will post 11.07 EPS for the current year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.84%.

Insider Activity at Global Payments

In other Global Payments news, CAO David M. Sheffield sold 1,651 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.73, for a total value of $166,305.23. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 20,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,068,087.63. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.98% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Global Payments

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new position in shares of Global Payments during the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Global Payments in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Global Payments during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. West Paces Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Global Payments by 54.5% during the first quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 309 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. raised its stake in Global Payments by 154.7% during the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 354 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the period. 89.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Global Payments

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.