Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-six research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $135.71.

A number of brokerages recently commented on GPN. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Global Payments from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $112.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 price objective (down previously from $155.00) on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Global Payments from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, 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.

Global Payments Trading Up 0.0 %

NYSE GPN opened at $110.43 on Thursday. Global Payments has a one year low of $91.60 and a one year high of $141.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market capitalization of $28.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $113.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 5,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now owns 42,738 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,957,608. This trade represents a 15.70 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.98% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Global Payments

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Global Payments in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Global Payments in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Global Payments in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in Global Payments by 59.6% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 383 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Global Payments in the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 89.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.