Citi sets Corpay stock Buy rating on strategic initiatives

EditorNatashya Angelica
Published 15/01/2025, 02:32 am
CPAY
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On Tuesday, Citi analyst initiated coverage on Corpay (NYSE:CPAY) shares, assigning a Buy rating and setting a price target of $430, which aligns with the broader analyst consensus rating of 1.89 (Strong Buy). With a current market capitalization of $24.9 billion and trading at $358.22, InvestingPro analysis indicates the stock is fairly valued.

Analyst provided a positive outlook for the company, suggesting that 2025 could be a crucial year for CPAY's growth. The analyst pointed to several factors that could contribute to this, including stabilization and improvements in various segments such as North America fleet, Lodging, and Gift. He also highlighted the potential impact of high-growth Corporate Payments acquisitions and a new sales approach that could drive both new and cross-sales into 2026.

These factors could lead to sustainably higher organic revenue growth, potentially increasing both earnings power and the stock's valuation multiple. The company's strong fundamentals support this view, with an impressive 78.3% gross profit margin and a healthy return on equity of 33%.

While the foreign exchange and fuel prices might negatively affect reported growth and earnings per share, he emphasized the importance of CPAY's ability to achieve modestly higher underlying growth in a sustainable manner. InvestingPro data reveals the company maintains a robust financial health score of 3.01 (GREAT).

The analyst also mentioned economic and policy risks, such as tariffs, but concluded that the risk/reward ratio is favorable for CPAY at its current valuation levels. Citi has also made adjustments to its network preferences and trading strategies, including adding Square (NYSE:SQ) to its top call list, maintaining a bullish view on CPAY, downgrading WEX (NYSE:WEX) to Neutral from Buy, and recommending a pair trade of Overweight Buy-rated RELY versus Underweight Neutral-rated WU.

The analyst's comments suggest confidence in CPAY's strategic initiatives and the company's potential to navigate through external challenges while achieving growth. The new price target of $430 indicates a significant level of optimism in the stock's future performance. For deeper insights into CPAY's valuation and growth prospects, investors can access the comprehensive Pro Research Report, available exclusively on InvestingPro, which includes detailed analysis of the company's financial health, valuation metrics, and growth potential among 1,400+ top US stocks.

In other recent news, Corpay has been the subject of numerous significant developments. Wolfe Research recently upgraded Corpay's stock from Peerperform to Outperform, citing a robust capital position and promising growth in the Corporate Payments segment. Similarly, Raymond (NS:RYMD) James and BMO Capital Markets have maintained an Outperform rating, reflecting confidence in the company's growth prospects.

Corpay's CFO, Tom Panther, is set to leave the company, with a search for his successor currently underway. In terms of mergers and acquisitions, Corpay has completed the acquisition of GPS Capital Markets and Paymerang, which are expected to contribute over $200 million in revenue and add approximately $0.50 to Cash EPS accretion in 2025.

Corpay's subsidiary, TA Connections, has announced a collaboration with Uber (NYSE:UBER) for Business, introducing a new feature in its TA Disruption Hub platform that schedules Uber rides for passengers facing flight disruptions.

Corpay's third-quarter financial results showed revenue of approximately $1.029 billion and earnings per share of $3.90, falling short of analysts' expectations. The company's fourth-quarter 2024 organic revenue and earnings are projected to align with previously issued guidance. These are the recent developments for Corpay.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

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