$0.16 EPS Expected for Square, Inc. (NYSE:SQ) This Quarter

Brokerages expect Square, Inc. (NYSE:SQ – Get Rating) to post $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the current quarter, according to Zacks. Nine analysts have made estimates for Square’s earnings, with the lowest EPS estimate coming in at ($0.04) and the highest estimate coming in at $0.30. Square reported earnings of $0.41 per share during the same quarter last year, which indicates a negative year over year growth rate of 61%. The company is expected to issue its next quarterly earnings report after the market closes on Monday, January 1st.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that Square will report full-year earnings of $1.02 per share for the current year, with EPS estimates ranging from $0.50 to $2.28. For the next year, analysts expect that the company will report earnings of $1.62 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $0.52 to $3.23. Zacks’ earnings per share averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that that provide coverage for Square.

Square (NYSE:SQ – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 24th. The technology company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.13) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $4.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. Square had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 0.94%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.09 earnings per share.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on SQ. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Square from $275.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 28th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on Square from $275.00 to $240.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 25th. Barclays reduced their price target on Square from $205.00 to $182.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on Square from $209.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 25th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson reduced their price target on Square from $250.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, thirty-five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Square presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $212.22.

Shares of Square stock traded down $1.92 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $119.39. 10,305,071 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 20,333,252. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 1.94. The company has a market cap of $69.25 billion, a PE ratio of 385.13 and a beta of 2.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $119.40 and a 200-day moving average of $164.91. Square has a 12 month low of $82.72 and a 12 month high of $289.23.

In related news, insider Brian Grassadonia sold 8,238 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.91, for a total transaction of $987,818.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Amrita Ahuja sold 3,609 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.61, for a total value of $460,544.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,578 shares of company stock worth $2,544,542 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 15.12% of the company’s stock.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Altman Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Square by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 6,406 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,630,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC grew its holdings in Square by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $276,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. HBC Financial Services PLLC boosted its holdings in shares of Square by 58.8% in the 3rd quarter. HBC Financial Services PLLC now owns 135 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Trustcore Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Square by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Trustcore Financial Services LLC now owns 2,371 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $569,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Square by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 862 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.31% of the company’s stock.

About Square (Get Rating)

Square, Inc provides payment and point-of-sale solutions in the United States and internationally. The company's commerce ecosystem includes point-of-sale software and hardware that enables sellers to turn mobile and computing devices into payment and point-of-sale solutions. It offers hardware products, including Magstripe reader, which enables swiped transactions of magnetic stripe cards; Contactless and chip reader that accepts EMV® chip cards and Near Field Communication payments; Chip card reader, which accepts EMV® chip cards and enables swiped transactions of magnetic stripe cards; Square Stand, which enables an iPad to be used as a payment terminal or full point of sale solution; and Square Register that combines its hardware, point-of-sale software, and payments technology, as well as managed payments solutions.

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