Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) Stock

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) had its price objective boosted by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $103.00 to $105.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 27.34% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price objective on Global Payments in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Stephens cut their target price on shares of Global Payments from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. 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 two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $91.14.

Global Payments Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:GPN opened at $82.46 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.44. Global Payments has a twelve month low of $65.93 and a twelve month high of $106.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a market capitalization of $19.52 billion, a PE ratio of 14.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 0.76.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 period last year, the firm posted $2.85 EPS. The company’s 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 predict that Global Payments will post 11.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Global Payments

In related news, insider David Lawrence Green sold 11,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 68,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,446,999.04. This represents a 14.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 10,392 shares of Global Payments stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $81.42 per share, with a total value of $846,116.64. Following the transaction, the director owned 59,303 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,828,450.26. This trade represents a 21.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its stake in shares of Global Payments by 242.2% during the 3rd quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 308 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Global Payments during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Global Payments during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. REAP Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

More Global Payments News

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.