KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Takes $1.30 Million Position in Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:EEFT)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:EEFT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 12,600 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,296,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of EEFT. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Euronet Worldwide by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 25,674 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,540,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. increased its position in Euronet Worldwide by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 4,790 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $493,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in shares of Euronet Worldwide by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,469 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $768,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Euronet Worldwide by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,087 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Euronet Worldwide by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 23,277 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,394,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. 91.60% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Euronet Worldwide Stock Down 2.7 %

NASDAQ:EEFT opened at $107.13 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Euronet Worldwide, Inc. has a twelve month low of $91.07 and a twelve month high of $117.66. The company has a market cap of $4.69 billion, a PE ratio of 16.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.37. The company’s 50 day moving average is $101.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.39.

Euronet Worldwide (NASDAQ:EEFT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by ($0.23). Euronet Worldwide had a net margin of 7.69% and a return on equity of 27.74%. Analysts anticipate that Euronet Worldwide, Inc. will post 9.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Michael J. Brown sold 95,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.69, for a total value of $9,565,550.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,418,966 shares in the company, valued at $142,875,686.54. This represents a 6.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 10.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on EEFT shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Euronet Worldwide from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Euronet Worldwide from $135.00 to $128.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Euronet Worldwide in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Euronet Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Euronet Worldwide in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.86.

Euronet Worldwide Company Profile

Euronet Worldwide, Inc provides payment and transaction processing and distribution solutions to financial institutions, retailers, service providers, and individual consumers worldwide. It operates through three segments: Electronic Fund Transfer Processing, epay, and Money Transfer. The Electronic Fund Transfer Processing segment provides electronic payment solutions, including automated teller machine (ATM) cash withdrawal and deposit services, ATM network participation, outsourced ATM and point-of-sale (POS) management solutions, credit and debit and prepaid card outsourcing, card issuing, and merchant acquiring services.