First Data (FDC) Earning Somewhat Favorable News Coverage, Report Shows

Research professionals at the Bank of America equities division upped shares of First Data (FDC) from a Neutral to a Buy on 18 January.

Now, the FactSet Research estimate calls for earnings of US$0.44. The business had revenue of $3.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. Given QIWI PLC's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe QIWI PLC is more favorable than First Data Corporation. First Data had a net margin of 5.99% and a return on equity of 26.60%. First Data Corporation (FDC) has risen 49.22% since January 19, 2017 and is uptrending. The firm's revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter a year ago. ValuEngine raised First Data from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, October 2nd. The firm owned $3.42 million shares of the company's stock after selling 1.39 million shares during the period. The rating was upgraded by Bank of America on Thursday, January 18 to "Buy".

In other news, insider Andrew Gelb sold 7,473 shares of First Data stock in a transaction on Monday, November 20th. Zacks Investment Research lowered First Data from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Tuesday, October 10th. First Data had 10 analyst reports since March 2, 2016 according to SRatingsIntel. The Company operates in target markets and customer segments. It has ranged in price between $17.56-$18.05 after having started the session at $18 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $17.6. The stock has "Buy" rating by Stifel Nicolaus on Wednesday, March 2. The stock stands almost -8.68% off versus the 52-week high and 19.7% away from the 52-week low. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.82 per share, for a total transaction of $420,500.00. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock now has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $20.11.

First Data Corporation now has a consensus price target of $18.38, suggesting a potential downside of 0.65%.

The counter witnessed a trading volume of 1.44 million shares versus an average volume of 1.14 million shares during last trading session. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 7,107,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $119,546,434.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 417,652 shares in the company, valued at $7,150,202.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. The most recent short interest data show 5.08% of the company's stock are short sold.

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of FDC. Macquarie Group Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of First Data during the 3rd quarter worth about $117,000. Public Employees Retirement System of OH grew its position in shares of First Data by 22.3% in the 3rd quarter.

First Data Corporation (FDC) failed to surprise the stock market in its last reported earnings when it earned $0.4 a piece versus the consensus-estimated $0.4. The stock spiked 6.55% last month and is up 5.09 this year. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of First Data by 254.6% during the 3rd quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of First Data by 1,307.1% in the second quarter.

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First Data Corporation is a provider of commerce-enabling technology and solutions for merchants, financial institutions and card issuers. The Global Business Solutions segment offers retail point-of-sale merchant acquiring and e-commerce services; and mobile payment services and Webstore-in-a-box solutions, as well as its cloud Clover point-of-sale operating system, which includes a marketplace for proprietary and third-party business applications.