Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-eight brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $110.91.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on GPN. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Global Payments from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Monday, April 21st. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Global Payments from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Global Payments in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Global Payments from $115.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Institutional Trading of Global Payments

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Global Payments during the first quarter worth $30,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Global Payments during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Global Payments by 546.6% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 375 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of Global Payments in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. 89.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Global Payments Stock Up 2.3%

GPN stock opened at $80.73 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.48. The company has a market capitalization of $19.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.06, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.93. Global Payments has a twelve month low of $65.93 and a twelve month high of $120.00.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The business services provider reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.73 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. Global Payments had a return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 15.54%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.59 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Global Payments will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.24%. Global Payments’s payout ratio is presently 16.13%.

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.