Euronet Worldwide (NASDAQ:EEFT) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:EEFT) shares gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $94.42, but opened at $104.00. Euronet Worldwide shares last traded at $105.71, with a volume of 231,581 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on EEFT shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Euronet Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup lowered Euronet Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $118.00 to $110.00 in a report on Friday, October 18th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Euronet Worldwide in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Euronet Worldwide from $135.00 to $128.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Euronet Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.14.

Euronet Worldwide Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $100.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $100.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $4.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.43.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Euronet Worldwide news, CEO Kevin J. Caponecchi sold 52,034 shares of Euronet Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.61, for a total value of $5,547,344.74. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,625,603.68. The trade was a 36.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Nikos Fountas sold 21,479 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.56, for a total value of $2,224,365.24. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 52,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,423,437.20. This trade represents a 29.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 82,910 shares of company stock worth $8,780,102 in the last quarter. 10.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Euronet Worldwide

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EEFT. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in Euronet Worldwide by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 18,074 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,793,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Euronet Worldwide by 0.6% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 25,674 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,540,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. increased its stake in Euronet Worldwide by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 4,790 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $493,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Euronet Worldwide by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,469 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $768,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in shares of Euronet Worldwide by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 4,903 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $486,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.60% of the company’s stock.

Euronet Worldwide Company Profile

Euronet Worldwide, Inc provides payment and transaction processing and distribution solutions to financial institutions, retailers, service providers, and individual consumers worldwide. It operates through three segments: Electronic Fund Transfer Processing, epay, and Money Transfer. The Electronic Fund Transfer Processing segment provides electronic payment solutions, including automated teller machine (ATM) cash withdrawal and deposit services, ATM network participation, outsourced ATM and point-of-sale (POS) management solutions, credit and debit and prepaid card outsourcing, card issuing, and merchant acquiring services.