Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.02 EPS

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $0.02, FiscalAI reports. Global Payments had a return on equity of 12.72% and a net margin of 16.92%.The business had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Global Payments updated its FY 2026 guidance to 13.800-14.000 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Global Payments’ conference call:

• Global Payments closed the Worldpay acquisition and divested Issuer Solutions, positioning the company as a pure-play commerce provider and targeting $200M of revenue and $600M of expense synergies over three years (with $70–80M of cost synergies expected in 2026).
• The combined 2026 outlook calls for ~5% constant-currency adjusted net revenue growth (slightly below 5% H1; exit >5%), ~150 bps adjusted operating margin expansion, and adjusted EPS of $13.80–$14 (13–15% growth vs. 2025).
• Management is restarting aggressive capital returns, targeting $7.5B for 2025–2027, with a new $2.5B repurchase authorization and an immediate $550M ASR, while carrying roughly $22.3B of debt post-close and committing to return to ~3x net leverage by end of 2027.
• The Genius platform and AI initiatives are core growth priorities—management reports rapid adoption, rising attach rates and enterprise deployments, $1B annual tech investment, and early integrations (e.g., Uber Eats, drive‑thru, international pilots) to expand SMB and enterprise revenue.
• The plan depends on successful integration execution and realization of synergies amid complex global consolidation; management guided conservatively for 2026 (modest H1) and will need to deliver on cost cuts and cross‑sell to hit medium‑term targets.

Global Payments Stock Down 1.3%

NYSE GPN opened at $80.24 on Friday. Global Payments has a 52 week low of $65.93 and a 52 week high of $106.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a market capitalization of $19.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $76.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.41.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

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 of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.04%.

Insider Activity at Global Payments

In other news, EVP David M. Sheffield sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.41, for a total value of $164,122.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 14,438 shares in the company, valued at $1,175,397.58. The trade was a 12.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. purchased 10,392 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $81.42 per share, for a total transaction of $846,116.64. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 59,303 shares in the company, valued at $4,828,450.26. This represents a 21.25% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.01% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Global Payments

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPN. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Global Payments during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in Global Payments during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Global Payments by 473.9% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 683 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 564 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Global Payments by 138.0% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 945 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 548 shares during the last quarter. 89.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on GPN shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Global Payments in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $97.00 target price (up previously from $95.00) on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Thursday. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price target on Global Payments in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Global Payments in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $91.90.

Key Stories Impacting Global Payments

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

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.