Aberdeen Group plc Trims Holdings in Global Payments Inc. $GPN

Aberdeen Group plc lowered its position in shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 179,815 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 8,292 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.07% of Global Payments worth $15,525,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. North Star Investment Management Corp. raised its holdings in Global Payments by 242.2% during the third quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 308 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Global Payments in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. SouthState Bank Corp bought a new position in Global Payments in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. REAP Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Global Payments during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 89.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider David Lawrence Green sold 11,600 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the insider owned 68,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,446,999.04. This trade represents a 14.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 10,392 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $81.42 per share, with a total value of $846,116.64. Following the acquisition, the director owned 59,303 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,828,450.26. This trade represents a 21.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.01% of the company’s stock.

Global Payments Trading Up 16.5%

GPN stock opened at $81.27 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $19.24 billion, a PE ratio of 11.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $76.05 and its 200 day moving average is $80.41. Global Payments Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.93 and a 12 month high of $107.27.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. Global Payments had a return on equity of 12.66% and a net margin of 19.68%.Global Payments’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. Global Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.800-14.000 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Global Payments Inc. will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GPN. Citigroup upgraded shares of Global Payments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Global Payments from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Stephens decreased their target price on Global Payments from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Zacks Research raised Global Payments to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $85.00 price objective on Global Payments in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $91.75.

Global Payments News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat on EPS and showed margin strength (Merchant Solutions); EPS was $3.18 vs. $3.16 consensus, supporting confidence in earnings power. Business Wire: Q4 and Full‑Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY‑2026 guidance to $13.80–$14.00 EPS (above Street), which signals double‑digit profit growth and drove much of the rally. Fool: Why GPN Stock Jumped
• Positive Sentiment: Large shareholder return: company unveiled a multi‑billion dollar buyback (reported as ~$2.5B by coverage), signaling confidence and reducing float. Benzinga: $2.5B Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared ($0.25 per share, record March 9), adding steady shareholder yield and signaling cash‑flow confidence.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management framed a strategic pivot around the Worldpay platform and growth initiatives; tone was upbeat but execution risk remains as integration and growth plans proceed. TipRanks: Worldpay Growth Pivot
• Neutral Sentiment: Several bullish analyst/market commentaries label GPN as undervalued or offering multi‑bagger potential—useful for sentiment but dependent on sustained execution. Seeking Alpha: Undervalued Thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry note: payments players face elevated tech and operating costs even as cross‑border and e‑commerce trends support long‑term growth. Zacks: Payments Industry Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue growth was modest (≈1.4% YoY) and management flagged higher costs; investors should watch margin trends as technology and integration spending can pressure profitability. Zacks: Q4 — Costs Temper Results

Global Payments 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.