R Squared Ltd Takes Position in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN)

Key Points

• R Squared Ltd has acquired a new stake in Global Payments Inc., purchasing 3,601 shares valued at approximately $353,000, according to a recent SEC filing.
• Global Payments reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, exceeding expectations, but showed a 0.3% decline in revenue compared to the prior year.
• The company's recent quarterly dividend was set at $0.25 per share, yielding an annualized dividend of 1.3%, with a payout ratio of 16.13%.

R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,601 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $353,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new position in Global Payments in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Global Payments in the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Global Payments by 546.6% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 375 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in Global Payments in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Global Payments by 4,866.7% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 447 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.76% of the company's stock.

Global Payments Price Performance

GPN stock traded down $1.95 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $78.00. 2,099,772 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,166,974. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $79.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $88.45. Global Payments Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.93 and a 12 month high of $120.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.58, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.93.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The business services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.73 by $0.09. Global Payments had a return on equity of 12.33% and a net margin of 15.48%. The firm had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.59 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Global Payments Inc. will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. Global Payments's payout ratio is 16.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on GPN. Wall Street Zen upgraded Global Payments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Global Payments in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Global Payments from $105.00 to $77.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. B. Riley reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Global Payments in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Global Payments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $84.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, July 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $111.65.

Global Payments Company 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.