Blueshift Asset Management LLC Sells 7,594 Shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) by 70.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,193 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 7,594 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Global Payments were worth $358,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Global Payments by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,301 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $594,000 after buying an additional 354 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the fourth quarter worth about $267,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Global Payments by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 111,502 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,495,000 after buying an additional 6,694 shares during the last quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in Global Payments by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 15,940 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,767,000 after acquiring an additional 3,725 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. increased its position in Global Payments by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 36,399 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,079,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Global Payments Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of GPN opened at $97.03 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $23.86 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Global Payments Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.99 and a 52-week high of $136.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $104.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.71.

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

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Global Payments from $166.00 to $163.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $156.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 price target (down from $155.00) on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Global Payments from $138.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.33.

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.