CPI Card Group (NASDAQ:PMTS) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded CPI Card Group (NASDAQ:PMTS) from a "buy" to a "strong-buy" rating, making it the latest bullish analyst call on the stock.
• CPI Card Group topped Q4 estimates with EPS of $0.77 versus $0.50 and revenue of $153.05M versus $145.22M, while the stock trades around $15.38 against a consensus analyst target of $28.25 and a 52-week high of $28.00.
• Institutional ownership is about 22%, with several funds (including Pacific Ridge, Wasatch, Vector and Pembroke) recently increasing their stakes in the company.

CPI Card Group (NASDAQ:PMTS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

PMTS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Zacks Research raised CPI Card Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of CPI Card Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of CPI Card Group in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $28.25.

CPI Card Group Price Performance

Shares of CPI Card Group stock opened at $15.38 on Friday. CPI Card Group has a 52 week low of $10.81 and a 52 week high of $28.00. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $13.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $176.25 million, a P/E ratio of 12.30 and a beta of 1.03.

CPI Card Group (NASDAQ:PMTS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $153.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $145.22 million. CPI Card Group had a net margin of 2.75% and a negative return on equity of 78.82%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CPI Card Group will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CPI Card Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in CPI Card Group by 75.0% in the third quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 391,325 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,925,000 after acquiring an additional 167,764 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in shares of CPI Card Group by 56.3% during the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 357,754 shares of the company's stock worth $8,486,000 after purchasing an additional 128,808 shares in the last quarter. Vector Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of CPI Card Group by 18.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vector Capital Management L.P. now owns 459,314 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,954,000 after purchasing an additional 71,891 shares during the last quarter. Pembroke Management LTD lifted its holdings in shares of CPI Card Group by 87.9% in the 3rd quarter. Pembroke Management LTD now owns 99,567 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,507,000 after purchasing an additional 46,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aristeia Capital L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of CPI Card Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $597,000. 22.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CPI Card Group Company Profile

CPI Card Group, Inc NASDAQ: PMTS is a leading provider of payment, identification and related credential solutions for financial institutions, governments and private enterprises. The company specializes in the design, manufacturing and personalization of secure plastic and metal cards, including EMV chip, magnetic-stripe and contactless cards. CPI Card Group also offers digital credentialing services and cloud-based card management tools that enable real-time controls, mobile wallet integration, fraud monitoring and analytics.

With a focus on security and innovation, CPI Card Group integrates advanced features such as holograms, microprinting, RFID/NFC technology and laser-engraved artwork into its card products.

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