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

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 13.800-14.000 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 13.740. The company issued revenue guidance of $9.8 billion-$9.8 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $12.4 billion.

Global Payments Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE GPN traded down $0.79 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $68.84. 2,497,019 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,593,194. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a market cap of $18.95 billion, a PE ratio of 11.89, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $70.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.87. Global Payments has a 12 month low of $62.45 and a 12 month high of $90.64.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The business services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. Global Payments had a net margin of 16.92% and a return on equity of 12.72%. Global Payments’s revenue was up 63.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.82 EPS. Global Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.800-14.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Global Payments will post 13.71 EPS for the current year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. Global Payments’s payout ratio is 17.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on GPN shares. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Monday, March 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $88.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Global Payments from $97.00 to $82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Global Payments from $110.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Global Payments from $90.00 to $76.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $85.35.

Global Payments News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings and revenue beat expectations: GAAP EPS $2.96 vs. $2.82 est.; revenue $2.86B vs. $2.81B est., driven by Worldpay momentum and platform growth. Global Payments Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Announced a $500 million accelerated share‑repurchase (ASR) program, which reduces share count and supports near‑term EPS. Global Payments Launches $500 Million Accelerated Share Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Management set FY2026 EPS guidance at $13.80–$14.00 and reiterated a plan to return ~$7.5 billion of capital through 2027 — a clear signal of cash‑flow confidence and shareholder focus. Guidance and Capital Return Plan
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: $0.25 per share (record June 12, payable June 26), adding to shareholder returns.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and transcripts — Evercore ISI reaffirmed a Hold rating (no change to consensus stance). Full Q1 earnings call/transcript and slide deck are available for review by investors. Evercore ISI Reaffirms Hold Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Costs and leverage remain a concern — coverage notes higher expenses and elevated debt levels following acquisitions, which could pressure margins and flexibility if growth slows. Zacks: Q1 Earnings Beat; Rising Expenses and Debt

Institutional Trading of Global Payments

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GPN. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the fourth quarter worth $725,000. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the first quarter worth $243,000. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Global Payments by 43.5% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 14,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,416,000 after buying an additional 4,386 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Global Payments by 7.3% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 41,577 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,327,000 after buying an additional 2,840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. boosted its holdings in Global Payments by 236.6% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 28,622 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,291,000 after buying an additional 20,119 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

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.