Analysts Set Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) Target Price at $134.33

Shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-six research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $134.33.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on GPN. StockNews.com raised Global Payments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Global Payments from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $166.00 to $163.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Global Payments from $156.00 to $149.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Global Payments from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th.

Remove Ads

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Global Payments

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Global Payments by 121.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 41,816 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,686,000 after buying an additional 22,920 shares during the period. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ bought a new position in Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,548,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Global Payments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $20,503,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $303,000. Finally, Aurdan Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Global Payments in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,050,000. 89.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Global Payments Stock Up 2.1 %

NYSE GPN traded up $2.08 on Friday, reaching $99.13. The company had a trading volume of 2,341,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,081,790. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company's fifty day moving average is $104.65 and its 200 day moving average is $107.68. Global Payments has a 52-week low of $90.99 and a 52-week high of $136.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.04.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN - Get Free Report) 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). Global Payments had a net margin of 15.54% and a return on equity of 12.21%. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.31 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Global Payments will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Global Payments's dividend payout ratio is currently 16.18%.

Global Payments Company Profile

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.