Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) Hits New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $90.99 and last traded at $91.43, with a volume of 389177 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $93.25.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Global Payments from $156.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $138.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Global Payments from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.33.

Global Payments Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a market cap of $23.31 billion, a PE ratio of 15.23, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.04. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $106.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $108.29.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.98 by ($0.14). Global Payments had a net margin of 15.54% and a return on equity of 12.21%. The business had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Global Payments Inc. will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.06%. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Global Payments

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. 89.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.