Global Payments Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:GPN)

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Investors bought 7,593 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 112% compared to the average daily volume of 3,588 put options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider David Lawrence Green sold 11,600 shares of Global Payments stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 10,392 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $81.42 per share, for a total transaction of $846,116.64. Following the completion of the purchase, 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. Insiders own 1.01% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Global Payments

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPN. Pettee Investors Inc. raised its holdings in Global Payments by 24.1% during the 2nd quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. now owns 15,672 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,254,000 after buying an additional 3,040 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its position in shares of Global Payments by 260.5% during the third 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 in the last quarter. BIP Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Global Payments by 151.6% during the third 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 during the third quarter worth $905,000. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Global Payments by 213.9% in the 3rd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 36,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,062,000 after acquiring an additional 25,118 shares in the last quarter. 89.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on GPN. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Global Payments from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Global Payments in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $80.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of Global Payments from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $91.90.

Trending Headlines about Global Payments

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and upgraded 2026 outlook — GPN reported adjusted Q4 EPS of $3.18 (beat/meet) and set FY‑2026 guidance of $13.80–$14.00, above consensus; management framed 2026 as a double‑digit EPS growth year. Business Wire earnings release
• Positive Sentiment: Large capital returns — the board approved a $2.5B buyback program (including ~$550M accelerated repurchases) and declared a quarterly dividend, which supports share-price upside and EPS accretion. Blockonomi buyback coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target increases — Wells Fargo raised its target to $105 with an Overweight rating (largest upside cited), and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods nudged its target to $90, both signalling renewed analyst confidence. Benzinga price target notes
• Positive Sentiment: Technical strength — GPN has cleared the 20-, 50- and 200‑day moving averages in recent sessions, a bullish sign that attracted momentum traders. 20-day breakout 50-day breakout 200-day breakout
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance mixed — some firms (e.g., UBS) are keeping Hold/Neutral ratings, calling the 2026 outlook conservative and flagging medium‑term upside tied to synergies and capital returns. TipRanks / UBS note
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed underlying fundamentals — Q4 EPS showed improvement but revenue growth was modest and some commentary highlighted higher costs; investors are weighing margin recovery vs. elevated expense trends. Zacks earnings analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual put activity and hedging — option flow showed ~7,593 puts bought (≈112% above typical volume), which can indicate hedging by longs or outright bearish bets that pressure intraday moves.
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking after rapid rally — the stock ran up sharply on the combination of buyback/guidance; today’s pullback on heavy volume looks like position rotation rather than a change to the company story.

Global Payments Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of GPN opened at $80.24 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $76.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.41. Global Payments has a 12-month low of $65.93 and a 12-month high of $106.90. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $19.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.76.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $0.02. Global Payments had a return on equity of 12.72% and a net margin of 16.92%.The company had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.85 EPS. Global Payments’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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Global Payments will post 11.89 EPS for the current year.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

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

About Global Payments

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.