Global Payments Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:GPN)

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 4,599 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 71% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,696 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Global Payments news, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 10,392 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $81.42 per share, with a total value of $846,116.64. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 59,303 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,828,450.26. The trade was a 21.25% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Patricia A. Watson bought 1,331 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $75.06 per share, with a total value of $99,904.86. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $198,984.06. This represents a 100.83% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 14,723 shares of company stock worth $1,186,772 and have sold 18,080 shares worth $1,439,350. 1.01% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Global Payments

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its holdings in Global Payments by 242.2% during the 3rd quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 308 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. SouthState Bank Corp bought a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Global Payments by 53.4% during the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 382 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Global Payments Stock Performance

Global Payments stock opened at $79.36 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $78.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.01. Global Payments has a twelve month low of $65.93 and a twelve month high of $115.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $18.79 billion, a PE ratio of 11.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.82.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The business services provider reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.03. Global Payments had a net margin of 19.68% and a return on equity of 12.66%. The firm had revenue of $2.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.08 EPS. Global Payments has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.600-6.666 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Global Payments will post 11.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Global Payments from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 24th. Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Global Payments in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Global Payments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on Global Payments from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Global Payments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $102.29.

Global Payments Company Profile

Global Payments Inc (NYSE: GPN) is a worldwide provider of payment technology and software solutions that enables commerce for merchants, issuers and enterprises. The company develops and operates payment processing networks, point-of-sale systems and cloud-based software that facilitate electronic transactions across in-store, online and mobile channels. Its services span merchant acquiring, payment gateway services, omnichannel commerce platforms, and solutions for recurring and subscription billing.

Global Payments offers a range of products and services including integrated payment terminals and point-of-sale software, e-commerce and gateway technologies, fraud prevention and tokenization tools, and business analytics and reporting.