Euronet Worldwide (NASDAQ:EEFT) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Shares of Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:EEFT) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $94.42, but opened at $104.00. Euronet Worldwide shares last traded at $105.71, with a volume of 231,581 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on EEFT shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Euronet Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Euronet Worldwide from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Euronet Worldwide in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com downgraded Euronet Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Euronet Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $118.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.00.

Euronet Worldwide Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $100.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $100.88. The firm has a market cap of $4.60 billion, a PE ratio of 15.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.43.

Euronet Worldwide (NASDAQ:EEFT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.05 by ($0.23). Euronet Worldwide had a net margin of 8.49% and a return on equity of 26.86%. Analysts expect that Euronet Worldwide, Inc. will post 7.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kevin J. Caponecchi sold 52,034 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.61, for a total value of $5,547,344.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,625,603.68. The trade was a 36.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Martin L. Bruckner sold 9,397 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.31, for a total value of $1,008,392.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 39,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,290,575.73. This trade represents a 19.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 82,910 shares of company stock valued at $8,780,102 in the last quarter. 10.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Euronet Worldwide

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Euronet Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Euronet Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth about $58,000. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Euronet Worldwide by 40.9% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 713 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its holdings in Euronet Worldwide by 15,240.0% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 767 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 762 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Euronet Worldwide by 485.6% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 855 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 709 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.