PAR Technology (NYSE:PAR) Rating Increased to Buy at Benchmark

Benchmark upgraded shares of PAR Technology (NYSE:PAR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm currently has $59.00 price target on the software maker’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. StockNews.com raised PAR Technology to a sell rating in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a buy rating and issued a $53.00 target price on shares of PAR Technology in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Sidoti raised shares of PAR Technology from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $61.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 12th. William Blair restated an outperform rating on shares of PAR Technology in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of PAR Technology from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $49.88.

PAR Technology Stock Performance

Shares of PAR opened at $48.34 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of -18.81 and a beta of 2.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 2.07. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $43.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.81. PAR Technology has a 52 week low of $28.21 and a 52 week high of $50.00.

PAR Technology (NYSE:PAR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The software maker reported ($0.47) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by ($0.05). PAR Technology had a negative net margin of 17.14% and a negative return on equity of 14.53%. The company had revenue of $107.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $106.12 million. Research analysts expect that PAR Technology will post -1.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other PAR Technology news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 4,500 shares of PAR Technology stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.04, for a total value of $189,180.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $603,904.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other PAR Technology news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.04, for a total value of $189,180.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $603,904.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Bryan A. Menar sold 803 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.79, for a total transaction of $35,163.37. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 54,601 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,390,977.79. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of PAR Technology

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PAR. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in PAR Technology by 43.4% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,530,843 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $155,670,000 after purchasing an additional 1,068,641 shares during the period. Progeny 3 Inc. raised its stake in shares of PAR Technology by 47.1% in the 1st quarter. Progeny 3 Inc. now owns 1,191,048 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $54,026,000 after buying an additional 381,232 shares in the last quarter. Voss Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of PAR Technology during the 4th quarter worth about $15,262,000. Wasatch Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of PAR Technology during the 1st quarter valued at about $10,194,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in PAR Technology by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,108,590 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $91,808,000 after acquiring an additional 173,575 shares during the period.

About PAR Technology

PAR Technology Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides omnichannel cloud-based hardware and software solutions to the restaurant and retail industries worldwide. The Restaurant/Retail segment offers PUNCHH, an enterprise-grade customer loyalty and engagement solution; MENU, an eCommerce platform for restaurant brands; BRINK POS, an open cloud, point-of-sale solution; PAR PAYMENT SERVICES, a merchant services business that enables electronic payment and processing services for businesses; and DATA CENTRAL, a back-office solution that leverages business intelligence and automation technologies.