Brokerages Set CSG Systems International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSGS) Price Target at $71.71

CSG Systems International, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSGS) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $71.71.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on CSGS shares. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on CSG Systems International from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of CSG Systems International from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of CSG Systems International from $51.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of CSG Systems International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on CSG Systems International in a research report on Friday, February 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock.

CSG Systems International Price Performance

NASDAQ CSGS opened at $60.66 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.75 billion, a PE ratio of 19.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $61.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.46. CSG Systems International has a 52-week low of $39.56 and a 52-week high of $67.60.

CSG Systems International (NASDAQ:CSGS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The technology company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.20. CSG Systems International had a return on equity of 39.42% and a net margin of 7.25%. Sell-side analysts forecast that CSG Systems International will post 3.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CSG Systems International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 19th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 19th. This is an increase from CSG Systems International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. CSG Systems International’s payout ratio is currently 42.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CSG Systems International

In other news, Director Ronald Cooper sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $599,580.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 41,561 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,768,793.82. The trade was a 17.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of CSG Systems International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CSGS. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury increased its holdings in shares of CSG Systems International by 25.8% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 18,033 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $922,000 after purchasing an additional 3,701 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in CSG Systems International by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 17,809 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $910,000 after buying an additional 1,066 shares during the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P raised its position in CSG Systems International by 32.0% during the 4th quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 23,492 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,201,000 after buying an additional 5,700 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in CSG Systems International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $925,000. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CSG Systems International in the 4th quarter valued at $4,222,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.07% of the company’s stock.

About CSG Systems International

CSG Systems International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides revenue management and digital monetization, customer experience, and payment solutions primarily to the communications industry in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It offers Advanced Convergent Platform, a private SaaS platform; and related solutions, including service technician management, analytics, electronic bill presentment, etc.