Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) Raised to Buy at StockNews.com

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on GPN. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of Global Payments from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Global Payments from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Barclays reduced their target price on Global Payments from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Global Payments from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $137.41.

Global Payments Price Performance

NYSE:GPN opened at $114.24 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $29.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.00. Global Payments has a 12-month low of $91.60 and a 12-month high of $141.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company’s 50-day moving average is $109.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.45.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Global Payments during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the third quarter worth about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Global Payments in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Global Payments in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its stake in Global Payments by 59.6% during the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 383 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. 89.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.