Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) Short Interest Up 26.5% in February

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 12,565,607 shares, an increase of 26.5% from the January 29th total of 9,935,133 shares. Currently, 5.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,843,629 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,843,629 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days. Currently, 5.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GPN. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Global Payments from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Raymond James Financial raised Global Payments to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $97.00 price objective (up from $95.00) on shares of Global Payments in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $88.00 price target (up from $80.00) on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $91.52.

Global Payments Trading Down 0.2%

Global Payments stock traded down $0.19 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $77.51. 2,836,602 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,345,200. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.69. Global Payments has a 52-week low of $65.93 and a 52-week high of $101.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.73. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $75.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.11.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $0.02. Global Payments had a net margin of 16.92% and a return on equity of 12.72%. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.32 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.85 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Global Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.800-14.000 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Global Payments will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Global Payments’s payout ratio is currently 17.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP David M. Sheffield sold 2,016 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.41, for a total value of $164,122.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,438 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,175,397.58. This represents a 12.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 10,392 shares of the business’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 acquisition, the director directly owned 59,303 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,828,450.26. This represents a 21.25% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Global Payments

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. North Star Investment Management Corp. boosted its stake in Global Payments by 242.2% during the third quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 308 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Global Payments during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. REAP Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. 89.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Global Payments

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.