2,161 Shares in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) Bought by MQS Management LLC

MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,161 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $289,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPN. Raymond James & Associates increased its position in Global Payments by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 364,909 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $46,343,000 after buying an additional 12,980 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Global Payments in the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Global Payments by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 44,137 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,605,000 after purchasing an additional 863 shares during the period. Tectonic Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Global Payments during the fourth quarter valued at $232,000. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Global Payments during the fourth quarter valued at $65,000. 89.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Global Payments Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE GPN traded up $1.92 during trading on Friday, reaching $100.66. 262,569 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,299,675. Global Payments Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $91.60 and a fifty-two week high of $141.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.69 billion, a PE ratio of 19.59, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $98.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.79.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The business services provider reported $2.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.17 billion. Global Payments had a return on equity of 11.72% and a net margin of 13.40%. Sell-side analysts predict that Global Payments Inc. will post 11.09 EPS for the current year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio is 19.84%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Andrea M. Carter sold 3,300 shares of Global Payments stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.34, for a total transaction of $367,422.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 25,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,806,770.06. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on GPN shares. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Global Payments from $152.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 21st. Citigroup lowered their price target on Global Payments from $163.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Global Payments from $143.00 to $128.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $172.00 price target on shares of Global Payments in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Global Payments from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.32.

Global Payments 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.