CPI Card Group (NASDAQ:PMTS) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CPI Card Group (NASDAQ:PMTS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

PMTS has been the subject of several other reports. Zacks Research lowered CPI Card Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of CPI Card Group in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of CPI Card Group in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of CPI Card Group in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of CPI Card Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $27.50.

CPI Card Group Price Performance

NASDAQ PMTS opened at $19.52 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $18.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $224.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.14 and a beta of 1.03. CPI Card Group has a 52-week low of $10.81 and a 52-week high of $21.57.

CPI Card Group (NASDAQ:PMTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.06. CPI Card Group had a net margin of 2.15% and a negative return on equity of 92.16%. The business had revenue of $147.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $134.69 million. On average, analysts predict that CPI Card Group will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman H Sanford Riley acquired 6,500 shares of CPI Card Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.00 per share, for a total transaction of $104,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chairman owned 259,938 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,159,008. This represents a 2.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Donna Abbey Carmignani sold 4,870 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.32, for a total transaction of $74,608.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,478 shares in the company, valued at $83,922.96. The trade was a 47.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 5.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CPI Card Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of CPI Card Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in CPI Card Group by 100.4% in the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,928 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 1,467 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of CPI Card Group during the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of CPI Card Group by 37.0% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 1,607 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of CPI Card Group by 98.7% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 3,331 shares during the last quarter. 22.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CPI Card Group Company Profile

CPI Card Group, Inc (NASDAQ: PMTS) is a leading provider of payment, identification and related credential solutions for financial institutions, governments and private enterprises. The company specializes in the design, manufacturing and personalization of secure plastic and metal cards, including EMV chip, magnetic-stripe and contactless cards. CPI Card Group also offers digital credentialing services and cloud-based card management tools that enable real-time controls, mobile wallet integration, fraud monitoring and analytics.

With a focus on security and innovation, CPI Card Group integrates advanced features such as holograms, microprinting, RFID/NFC technology and laser-engraved artwork into its card products.