Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) Upgraded at Raymond James Financial

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

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp cut Global Payments from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Global Payments from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore lowered their price target on shares of Global Payments from $90.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. One 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $91.14.

Global Payments Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of GPN opened at $82.46 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization 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 has a one year low of $65.93 and a one year high of $106.26. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $76.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

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

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. 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 17.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Global Payments news, insider David Lawrence Green sold 11,600 shares of Global Payments stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.99, for a total transaction of $927,884.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. bought 10,392 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were acquired 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,828,450.26. The trade was a 21.25% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.01% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pettee Investors Inc. raised its position in Global Payments by 24.1% in the 2nd quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. now owns 15,672 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after buying an additional 3,040 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its position in Global Payments by 260.5% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 29,446 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,446,000 after acquiring an additional 21,278 shares during the last quarter. BIP Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Global Payments by 151.6% during the 3rd quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 30,103 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,501,000 after acquiring an additional 18,138 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the third quarter valued at approximately $905,000. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Global Payments by 213.9% in the third quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 36,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,062,000 after purchasing an additional 25,118 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Global Payments News Summary

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.