Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $134.33.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Global Payments from $166.00 to $163.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Stephens cut Global Payments from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $125.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Global Payments from $138.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $122.00 target price (down previously from $155.00) on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Global Payments from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

Global Payments Stock Performance

GPN opened at $97.30 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $23.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.74, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $104.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.81. Global Payments has a 1-year low of $90.99 and a 1-year high of $136.36.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.98 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. Global Payments had a return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 15.54%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Global Payments will post 11.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Global Payments in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new position in shares of Global Payments in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Global Payments in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Global Payments in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Global Payments in the 4th quarter worth $40,000. 89.76% of the stock is 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.