Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 13.800-14.000 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 13.580. The company issued revenue guidance of -, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $11.6 billion.

Global Payments Stock Performance

Shares of Global Payments stock opened at $80.24 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $19.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Global Payments has a twelve month low of $65.93 and a twelve month high of $106.90. The company’s fifty day moving average is $76.01 and its 200 day moving average is $80.41.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $0.02. Global Payments had a net margin of 16.92% and a return on equity of 12.72%. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Global Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.800-14.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Global Payments will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Global Payments’s payout ratio is currently 14.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on GPN. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price target on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Global Payments from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Global Payments to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 price target (up previously from $80.00) on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $91.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. purchased 10,392 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $81.42 per share, with a total value of $846,116.64. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 59,303 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,828,450.26. This represents a 21.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider David Lawrence Green sold 11,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.99, for a total value of $927,884.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 68,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,446,999.04. The trade was a 14.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Global Payments News

Here are the key news stories impacting Global Payments this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and upgraded 2026 guidance: GPN reported adjusted Q4 EPS of $3.18 (vs. ~$3.16 consensus) and raised its FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $13.80–$14.00, above Street expectations — a clear driver of the sharp rally. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Large shareholder returns: management approved a $2.5B buyback (reports note ~$550M in accelerated repurchases) and declared a quarterly dividend, signaling commitment to return capital and boost EPS. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target upgrades: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $105 with an overweight stance (large upside vs. current levels), and other shops nudged targets higher — supporting upside narrative. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Technical momentum: GPN recently cleared the 20-, 50- and 200‑day moving averages, which traders view as short‑ and long‑term bullish signals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst views: some firms (e.g., UBS) remain cautious/neutral despite the buyback and guidance, citing conservative outlooks and execution risk. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual put option activity: a sharp uptick in put buying suggests some investors are hedging or betting on a pullback, which can amplify downward pressure. (No direct article link available for the trade log.)
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue / margin nuances and elevated costs: while EPS grew, revenue was roughly flat year‑over‑year and certain commentary noted rising expenses — items that temper the optimism and could justify profit‑taking. Article Title

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Global Payments

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GPN. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Global Payments by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 27,258 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,967,000 after buying an additional 1,138 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new position in Global Payments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,331,000. Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in Global Payments by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 14,449 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,118,000 after acquiring an additional 874 shares during the period. Finally, Achmea Investment Management B.V. purchased a new stake in Global Payments in the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,148,000. 89.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Global Payments

Global Payments Inc (NYSE: GPN) is a worldwide provider of payment technology and software solutions that enables commerce for merchants, issuers and enterprises. The company develops and operates payment processing networks, point-of-sale systems and cloud-based software that facilitate electronic transactions across in-store, online and mobile channels. Its services span merchant acquiring, payment gateway services, omnichannel commerce platforms, and solutions for recurring and subscription billing.

Global Payments offers a range of products and services including integrated payment terminals and point-of-sale software, e-commerce and gateway technologies, fraud prevention and tokenization tools, and business analytics and reporting.