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

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the twenty-four brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $103.90.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Global Payments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Global Payments to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Citigroup raised shares of Global Payments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, KeyCorp cut Global Payments from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Connie D. Mcdaniel sold 4,464 shares of Global Payments stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.81, for a total value of $347,343.84. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 30,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,335,389.34. The trade was a 12.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Patricia A. Watson purchased 1,331 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $75.06 per share, with a total value of $99,904.86. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,651 shares in the company, valued at $198,984.06. The trade was a 100.83% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.01% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Global Payments

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its stake in shares of Global Payments by 242.2% in the 3rd quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 308 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Global Payments during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. SouthState Bank Corp bought a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the third quarter worth $28,000. REAP Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC increased its position in Global Payments by 53.4% during the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 382 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Global Payments Stock Up 2.4%

GPN opened at $76.78 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $18.18 billion, a PE ratio of 13.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Global Payments has a 52 week low of $65.93 and a 52 week high of $120.00. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $81.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.54.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The business services provider reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. Global Payments had a return on equity of 12.47% and a net margin of 15.07%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.08 earnings per share. Global Payments has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.600-6.666 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Global Payments will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 26th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.04%.

About Global Payments

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.