Northstar Advisory Group LLC Takes $1.28 Million Position in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN)

Northstar Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 10,092 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,282,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GPN. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Global Payments in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Clear Street Markets LLC bought a new stake in Global Payments in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC bought a new stake in Global Payments in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Global Payments by 77.7% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 407 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Institutional investors own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Global Payments Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GPN opened at $132.12 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Global Payments Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.12 and a twelve month high of $141.77. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $132.78 and its 200-day moving average is $123.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.86, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.96.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The business services provider reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.01. Global Payments had a return on equity of 11.44% and a net margin of 10.22%. The company had revenue of $2.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.30 earnings per share. Global Payments’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Global Payments Inc. will post 10.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Global Payments from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Global Payments from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Global Payments from $154.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Global Payments from $138.00 to $137.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Global Payments from $145.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.92.

Global Payments 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.