39,400 Shares in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) Acquired by Factorial Partners LLC

Factorial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 39,400 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,415,000. Global Payments comprises 2.5% of Factorial Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Global Payments by 65.6% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,982,496 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $203,047,000 after acquiring an additional 785,539 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Global Payments by 1,559.6% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 548,833 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $61,502,000 after buying an additional 515,763 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Global Payments by 22.7% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,646,854 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $271,090,000 after purchasing an additional 490,411 shares during the period. Soros Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the 3rd quarter worth about $47,113,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Global Payments by 925.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 417,832 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $42,794,000 after acquiring an additional 377,087 shares in the last quarter. 89.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Global Payments Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE:GPN opened at $105.51 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $109.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.07, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.01. Global Payments Inc. has a 52-week low of $91.60 and a 52-week high of $140.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.97.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.98 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. Global Payments had a return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 15.54%. Analysts expect that Global Payments Inc. will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Global Payments’s payout ratio is 16.18%.

Insider Transactions at Global Payments

In related news, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 5,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $116.00 per share, for a total transaction of $672,800.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 42,738 shares in the company, valued at $4,957,608. The trade was a 15.70 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.98% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPN has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com upgraded Global Payments from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Global Payments from $138.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $122.00 target price (down from $155.00) on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Global Payments from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Global Payments presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.33.

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.