PAR Technology (NYSE:PAR) Upgraded to Buy by Benchmark

PAR Technology (NYSE:PAR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Benchmark from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $59.00 price target on the software maker's stock. Benchmark's price target points to a potential upside of 18.83% from the company's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on PAR. StockNews.com upgraded PAR Technology to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Sidoti raised shares of PAR Technology from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $61.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 12th. TheStreet upgraded shares of PAR Technology from a "d+" rating to a "c-" rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of PAR Technology in a research report on Tuesday, March 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $53.00 price target on shares of PAR Technology in a research report on Friday, May 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $49.88.

PAR Technology Trading Up 6.3 %

PAR stock traded up $2.95 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $49.65. 923,308 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 267,856. PAR Technology has a one year low of $28.21 and a one year high of $49.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 2.07. The company has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a PE ratio of -19.32 and a beta of 2.00. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $43.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.59.

PAR Technology (NYSE:PAR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The software maker reported ($0.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by ($0.05). PAR Technology had a negative net margin of 17.14% and a negative return on equity of 14.53%. The business had revenue of $107.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.12 million. Research analysts predict that PAR Technology will post -1.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Bryan A. Menar sold 803 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.79, for a total transaction of $35,163.37. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 54,601 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,390,977.79. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other PAR Technology news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.04, for a total transaction of $189,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,365 shares in the company, valued at $603,904.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Bryan A. Menar sold 803 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.79, for a total value of $35,163.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 54,601 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,390,977.79. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PAR. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of PAR Technology by 43.4% during the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,530,843 shares of the software maker's stock worth $155,670,000 after acquiring an additional 1,068,641 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PAR Technology by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,159,383 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $97,950,000 after purchasing an additional 50,793 shares in the last quarter. Progeny 3 Inc. increased its stake in shares of PAR Technology by 47.1% in the 1st quarter. Progeny 3 Inc. now owns 1,191,048 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $54,026,000 after purchasing an additional 381,232 shares during the last quarter. Newtyn Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of PAR Technology by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Newtyn Management LLC now owns 982,527 shares of the software maker's stock worth $37,867,000 after buying an additional 82,527 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY lifted its position in shares of PAR Technology by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 901,872 shares of the software maker's stock worth $40,909,000 after buying an additional 8,789 shares during the last quarter.

About PAR Technology

PAR Technology Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides omnichannel cloud-based hardware and software solutions to the restaurant and retail industries worldwide. The Restaurant/Retail segment offers PUNCHH, an enterprise-grade customer loyalty and engagement solution; MENU, an eCommerce platform for restaurant brands; BRINK POS, an open cloud, point-of-sale solution; PAR PAYMENT SERVICES, a merchant services business that enables electronic payment and processing services for businesses; and DATA CENTRAL, a back-office solution that leverages business intelligence and automation technologies.