Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) Shares Sold by Axa S.A.

AXA S.A. lowered its position in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 564,178 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 38,657 shares during the period. AXA S.A. owned approximately 0.22% of Global Payments worth $63,222,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Sage Capital Advisors llc boosted its holdings in Global Payments by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc now owns 28,232 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,164,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of Global Payments by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 992 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC increased its stake in Global Payments by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 3,685 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $413,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in Global Payments by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,068 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its position in Global Payments by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 10,963 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,228,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Global Payments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Global Payments from $145.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Stephens lowered shares of Global Payments from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $125.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $105.00 to $77.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.86.

Global Payments Stock Performance

Shares of GPN traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $79.20. 3,531,531 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,401,584. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $88.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.95. Global Payments Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.93 and a 12-month high of $120.00.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.98 by ($0.14). The firm 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Global Payments Inc. will post 11.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Global Payments's dividend payout ratio is currently 16.18%.

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.