Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Acquires New Holdings in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN)

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 2,474 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $277,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Global Payments by 134.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 511 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. 89.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Global Payments Stock Up 1.0 %

GPN opened at $108.92 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $113.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.40. Global Payments Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.60 and a 1-year high of $141.77. The stock has a market cap of $27.72 billion, a PE ratio of 20.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GPN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Global Payments from $143.00 to $130.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 price objective (down from $155.00) on shares of Global Payments in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Global Payments from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $135.00 to $112.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Global Payments from $118.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer began coverage on Global Payments in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $135.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. purchased 5,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $116.00 per share, with a total value of $672,800.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 42,738 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,957,608. This trade represents a 15.70 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.98% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.