Wall Street Zen Upgrades CPI Card Group (NASDAQ:PMTS) to Strong-Buy

CPI Card Group (NASDAQ:PMTS) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded CPI Card Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday. Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of CPI Card Group in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of CPI Card Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of CPI Card Group in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Zacks Research raised CPI Card Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CPI Card Group currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $27.50.

CPI Card Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PMTS opened at $17.05 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $16.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.89. CPI Card Group has a 52 week low of $10.81 and a 52 week high of $25.50. The company has a market capitalization of $195.73 million, a P/E ratio of 16.72 and a beta of 1.07.

CPI Card Group (NASDAQ:PMTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.06. CPI Card Group had a negative return on equity of 92.16% and a net margin of 2.15%.The firm had revenue of $147.11 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $134.69 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that CPI Card Group will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman H Sanford Riley bought 5,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.00 per share, with a total value of $86,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 5,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $86,400. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Donna Abbey Carmignani sold 4,870 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.32, for a total value of $74,608.40. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,922.96. The trade was a 47.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 5.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CPI Card Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of CPI Card Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CPI Card Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of CPI Card Group by 100.4% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 1,467 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of CPI Card Group by 37.0% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 1,607 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in shares of CPI Card Group by 73.1% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 6,769 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 2,859 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 22.08% of the company’s stock.

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.