Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:EEFT) Short Interest Up 8.0% in January

Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:EEFT - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,350,000 shares, a growth of 8.0% from the December 31st total of 1,250,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 263,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.1 days. Currently, 3.3% of the company's stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Euronet Worldwide from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 20th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on Euronet Worldwide from $135.00 to $128.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Euronet Worldwide in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Euronet Worldwide from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of Euronet Worldwide from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $118.00 to $110.00 in a report on Friday, October 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $127.14.

Insider Transactions at Euronet Worldwide

In related news, CEO Nikos Fountas sold 21,479 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.56, for a total transaction of $2,224,365.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 52,370 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,423,437.20. This represents a 29.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kevin J. Caponecchi sold 52,034 shares of Euronet Worldwide stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.61, for a total transaction of $5,547,344.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,625,603.68. This represents a 36.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 82,910 shares of company stock valued at $8,780,102. 10.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Euronet Worldwide

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EEFT. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Euronet Worldwide by 0.7% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 18,074 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,793,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Euronet Worldwide by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 25,674 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,540,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Euronet Worldwide by 2.3% during 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 during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in Euronet Worldwide by 3.6% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 4,903 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Euronet Worldwide by 21.6% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,087 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. 91.60% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Euronet Worldwide Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ EEFT traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $96.98. The company had a trading volume of 199,750 shares, compared to its average volume of 236,326. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $101.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $100.94. The company has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.01, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.43. Euronet Worldwide has a 12-month low of $91.07 and a 12-month high of $117.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26.

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.