PAR Technology (NYSE:PAR) Trading 8.7% Higher - Time to Buy?

PAR Technology Co. (NYSE:PAR - Get Free Report) shares traded up 8.7% on Friday . The company traded as high as $72.33 and last traded at $72.33. 305,312 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 10% from the average session volume of 340,167 shares. The stock had previously closed at $66.53.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on PAR shares. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on shares of PAR Technology from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of PAR Technology to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday. Stephens upped their target price on PAR Technology from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of PAR Technology from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of PAR Technology from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $45.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Monday, August 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.17.

PAR Technology Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 3.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -290.64 and a beta of 2.14. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $56.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.67.

PAR Technology (NYSE:PAR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The software maker reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by ($0.05). PAR Technology had a negative return on equity of 10.93% and a net margin of 0.44%. The firm had revenue of $78.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $115.14 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.65) EPS. The business's revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that PAR Technology Co. will post -1.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in PAR Technology by 87.6% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 13,367 shares of the software maker's stock worth $606,000 after acquiring an additional 6,242 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new stake in shares of PAR Technology during the first quarter worth about $242,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of PAR Technology in the first quarter valued at approximately $78,000. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in PAR Technology by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 55,300 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $2,508,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in PAR Technology during the 1st quarter worth approximately $788,000.

About PAR Technology

PAR Technology Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides omnichannel cloud-based hardware and software solutions to the restaurant and retail industries worldwide. The Restaurant/Retail segment offers PUNCHH, an enterprise-grade customer loyalty and engagement solution; MENU, an eCommerce platform for restaurant brands; BRINK POS, an open cloud, point-of-sale solution; PAR PAYMENT SERVICES, a merchant services business that enables electronic payment and processing services for businesses; and DATA CENTRAL, a back-office solution that leverages business intelligence and automation technologies.

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