GSA Capital Partners LLP Buys New Stake in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN)

GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 12,839 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,716,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Global Payments during the first quarter valued at $399,000. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its position in Global Payments by 10.4% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 3,174 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in Global Payments by 82.5% during the first quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 491 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Global Payments by 2,311.0% during the first quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,605 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $616,000 after purchasing an additional 4,414 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Global Payments by 8.3% during the first quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 28,618 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,825,000 after purchasing an additional 2,193 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Global Payments Price Performance

NYSE GPN traded down $1.29 on Wednesday, hitting $94.50. The company had a trading volume of 508,045 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,310,840. The company has a market capitalization of $24.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.88, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.98. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $101.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. Global Payments Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.60 and a 12-month high of $141.77.

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

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 14th. Global Payments’s payout ratio is 19.84%.

Insider Transactions at Global Payments

In related news, VP Andrea M. Carter sold 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.34, for a total value of $367,422.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 25,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,806,770.06. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on GPN. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Global Payments from $182.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered their target price on shares of Global Payments from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Global Payments from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Global Payments from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Global Payments has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.