Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,325,312 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 13,973 shares during the quarter. Global Payments comprises 1.1% of Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Global Payments were worth $148,514,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in Global Payments by 0.3% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 26,946 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,760,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc increased its holdings in Global Payments by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc now owns 28,232 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,164,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp boosted its position in Global Payments by 4.1% during the third quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 2,440 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in Global Payments by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 992 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Global Payments by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 3,685 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $413,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. 89.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Global Payments Stock Performance

NYSE GPN opened at $97.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79, a P/E/G 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $103.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.34. Global Payments Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.99 and a 12-month high of $133.63.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 12.21% and a net margin of 15.54%. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. Analysts anticipate that Global Payments Inc. will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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