Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) Price Target Lowered to $163.00 at Morgan Stanley

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $166.00 to $163.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the business services provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 52.34% from the stock's previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Global Payments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Global Payments from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $135.00 to $112.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Global Payments from $143.00 to $130.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Global Payments from $118.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Global Payments from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.33.

Global Payments Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE GPN traded up $1.37 during trading on Friday, hitting $107.00. 2,708,297 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,729,932. Global Payments has a 1 year low of $91.60 and a 1 year high of $140.38. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $110.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $108.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.98 by ($0.14). Global Payments had a net margin of 13.61% and a return on equity of 11.94%. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.31 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Global Payments will post 11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. bought 5,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $116.00 per share, for a total transaction of $672,800.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 42,738 shares in the company, valued at $4,957,608. This trade represents a 15.70 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.98% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Global Payments

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cromwell Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Global Payments during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new stake in Global Payments during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Global Payments during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Global Payments during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.76% of the company's stock.

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.