Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) Rating Increased to Moderate Buy at Raymond James Financial

Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) to a moderate buy rating in a research report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price target on Global Payments in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $97.00 target price (up from $95.00) on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Global Payments in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $80.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Global Payments to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Global Payments from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $91.14.

Global Payments Trading Up 2.7%

Global Payments stock opened at $82.46 on Wednesday. Global Payments has a 1 year low of $65.93 and a 1 year high of $106.26. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $76.02 and its 200-day moving average is $80.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.69. The company has a market cap of $19.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.24, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 0.76.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $2.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. Global Payments’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Global Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.800-14.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Global Payments will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.27%.

Insider Transactions at Global Payments

In other Global Payments news, EVP David M. Sheffield sold 2,016 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.41, for a total value of $164,122.56. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,438 shares in the company, valued at $1,175,397.58. This represents a 12.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider David Lawrence Green sold 11,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.99, for a total value of $927,884.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 68,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,446,999.04. The trade was a 14.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Global Payments

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Dean Capital Management grew its holdings in Global Payments by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 18,445 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,428,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares during the period. Michels Family Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Global Payments by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Michels Family Financial LLC now owns 4,269 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Global Payments by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 27,258 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,967,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares during the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Global Payments in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,331,000. Finally, Strive Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Global Payments

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and robust 2026 guidance — GPN reported adjusted Q4 EPS above estimates and set FY‑2026 guidance of $13.80–$14.00, which topped the Street and implies double‑digit EPS growth; that beat/guide combo is the core catalyst for the rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: $2.5B total buyback program, including $550M accelerated repurchase — management approved an expanded $2.5B repurchase framework and kicked off $550M of accelerated buys, which reduces share count and supports EPS. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: New quarterly dividend announced — GPN declared a $0.25 quarterly dividend, signaling confidence in cash flow and adding modest income appeal to the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upside and supportive notes — several firms raised price targets or reiterated constructive views (Wells Fargo raised its PT to $105; Keefe Bruyette & Woods raised to $90), lending validation to the company’s outlook. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical momentum — GPN cleared its 20-, 50- and 200‑day moving averages, which attracts momentum/technical buyers but doesn’t change fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Heightened bearish/options activity — recent unusual activity showed a sharp rise in put buying (about 7,593 puts, ~112% above average), which could signal some hedging or skepticism from options traders even as the stock rallies.
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed sell‑side stance — some firms remain cautious: BNP Paribas raised its price target but kept an Underperform rating, highlighting that not all analysts are convinced the upside is sustainable. Read More.

Global Payments Company Profile

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.