Euronet Worldwide (NASDAQ:EEFT) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy Rating

Euronet Worldwide (NASDAQ:EEFT) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

EEFT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Oppenheimer started coverage on Euronet Worldwide in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $121.00 price target on the stock. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on Euronet Worldwide from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $136.00 price target on shares of Euronet Worldwide in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Euronet Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Euronet Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $118.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Euronet Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.38.

Euronet Worldwide Stock Down 0.8 %

EEFT traded down $0.81 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $103.80. 159,686 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 305,023. Euronet Worldwide has a 1 year low of $79.81 and a 1 year high of $117.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a PE ratio of 15.00 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $99.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $103.99.

Euronet Worldwide (NASDAQ:EEFT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.04 billion. Euronet Worldwide had a net margin of 8.49% and a return on equity of 26.86%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.53 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Euronet Worldwide will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Euronet Worldwide

In other Euronet Worldwide news, CEO Juan Bianchi sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.58, for a total value of $410,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 12,440 shares in the company, valued at $1,276,095.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 10.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Euronet Worldwide

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EEFT. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Euronet Worldwide in the third quarter worth approximately $15,258,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Euronet Worldwide by 6,250.4% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 141,932 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $15,602,000 after purchasing an additional 139,697 shares in the last quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Euronet Worldwide by 57.9% during the 1st quarter. Kodai Capital Management LP now owns 369,209 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,587,000 after purchasing an additional 135,416 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Euronet Worldwide by 17.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 755,190 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $78,172,000 after purchasing an additional 113,685 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Euronet Worldwide in the second quarter worth $9,047,000. Institutional investors own 91.60% of the company’s stock.

About Euronet Worldwide

Euronet Worldwide, Inc provides payment and transaction processing and distribution solutions to financial institutions, retailers, service providers, and individual consumers worldwide. It operates through three segments: Electronic Fund Transfer Processing, epay, and Money Transfer. The Electronic Fund Transfer Processing segment provides electronic payment solutions, including automated teller machine (ATM) cash withdrawal and deposit services, ATM network participation, outsourced ATM and point-of-sale (POS) management solutions, credit and debit and prepaid card outsourcing, card issuing, and merchant acquiring services.