Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Sells 195 Shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd trimmed its position in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,470 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 195 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Global Payments were worth $2,293,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Global Payments in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Global Payments by 177.5% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 469 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Global Payments by 94.4% during the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 517 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. 89.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Global Payments

In related news, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. purchased 5,800 shares of Global Payments stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $116.00 per share, for a total transaction of $672,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 42,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,957,608. This represents a 15.70 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Global Payments Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GPN opened at $105.51 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $26.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $109.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $108.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Global Payments Inc. has a 12 month low of $91.60 and a 12 month high of $140.38.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.31 billion. Global Payments had a net margin of 15.54% and a return on equity of 12.21%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Global Payments Inc. will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPN has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Global Payments from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 price objective (down previously from $155.00) on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Stephens cut shares of Global Payments from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $125.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $166.00 to $163.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $138.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Global Payments presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.33.

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.