Traders Purchase Large Volume of Put Options on Global Payments (NYSE:GPN)

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 8,347 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 233% compared to the average volume of 2,507 put options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on GPN shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Global Payments from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Oppenheimer upgraded Global Payments from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Global Payments in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Global Payments from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Argus set a $110.00 price objective on Global Payments and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $96.17.

Global Payments Stock Performance

Global Payments stock traded down $0.64 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $84.18. 221,623 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,328,224. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -28.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50 day moving average of $87.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.97. Global Payments has a 12 month low of $61.16 and a 12 month high of $95.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The business services provider reported $3.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.44 by $0.02. Global Payments had a negative net margin of 9.16% and a positive return on equity of 13.80%. The business had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 68.6% on a year-over-year basis. Global Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.600-13.800 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Global Payments will post 13.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio is presently -33.56%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Global Payments

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GPN. Gtcr LLC bought a new position in shares of Global Payments in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,911,939,000. Gradient Investments LLC raised its position in Global Payments by 156.9% in the second quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 45,565 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,306,000 after acquiring an additional 27,828 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in Global Payments by 40.0% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 912,590 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $65,864,000 after acquiring an additional 260,606 shares during the period. Lone Peak Global Investors LLC raised its holdings in Global Payments by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter. Lone Peak Global Investors LLC now owns 326,833 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,715,000 after purchasing an additional 18,711 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Global Payments by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,495,339 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $108,502,000 after purchasing an additional 58,960 shares during the period. 89.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Global Payments Company Profile

Global Payments Inc (NYSE:GPN) is a financial technology and payments company that provides software and payment solutions to businesses, financial institutions and other organizations. Its services help merchants accept payments through credit cards, debit cards, digital wallets and other electronic methods across in-store, online and mobile channels.

The company offers payment processing, point-of-sale technology, commerce management software, payment security and reporting tools. Its solutions are used in industries including retail, restaurants, hospitality, healthcare, education and government.