Nordea Investment Management AB Purchases 349,457 Shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN)

Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) by 13.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,949,458 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 349,457 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB owned 1.16% of Global Payments worth $330,516,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPN. Stanley Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Global Payments by 18.9% in the second quarter. Stanley Capital Management LLC now owns 125,608 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,146,000 after acquiring an additional 20,000 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Global Payments by 65.6% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,982,496 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $203,047,000 after purchasing an additional 785,539 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Global Payments during the third quarter valued at about $562,000. Poplar Forest Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the third quarter valued at about $13,184,000. Finally, River Road Asset Management LLC grew its position in Global Payments by 158.6% during the third quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 491,331 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $50,322,000 after buying an additional 301,358 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Global Payments Price Performance

Shares of GPN opened at $112.58 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Global Payments Inc. has a twelve month low of $91.60 and a twelve month high of $141.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $113.35 and a 200-day moving average of $106.25.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.83%.

Insider Transactions at Global Payments

In related news, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 5,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $116.00 per share, for a total transaction of $672,800.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 42,738 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,957,608. This trade represents a 15.70 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $147.00 price objective on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. BTIG Research cut shares of Global Payments from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Global Payments from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Global Payments from $143.00 to $130.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Global Payments from $156.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.55.

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.