BNP Paribas Exane Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) Stock

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at BNP Paribas Exane from $73.00 to $76.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has an “underperform” rating on the business services provider’s stock. BNP Paribas Exane’s target price would suggest a potential downside of 7.83% from the company’s current price.

GPN has been the topic of several other research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Global Payments to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup upgraded shares of Global Payments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Stephens decreased their price target 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Global Payments in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $91.14.

Global Payments Trading Up 2.7%

GPN stock opened at $82.46 on Thursday. Global Payments has a 1-year low of $65.93 and a 1-year 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $76.02 and its 200-day moving average is $80.44. The firm has a market cap of $19.52 billion, a P/E 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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. Global Payments had a return on equity of 12.72% and a net margin of 16.92%.Global Payments’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. Global Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.800-14.000 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Global Payments will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Global Payments

In related news, EVP David M. Sheffield sold 2,016 shares of the firm’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 owned 14,438 shares in the company, valued at $1,175,397.58. This trade represents a 12.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 10,392 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 59,303 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,828,450.26. This trade represents a 21.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GPN. Dean Capital Management increased its holdings in Global Payments by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 18,445 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. Michels Family Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Global Payments by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Michels Family Financial LLC now owns 4,269 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $330,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Global Payments by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 27,258 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,967,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138 shares during the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in Global Payments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,331,000. Finally, Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Global Payments during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Institutional investors own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Global Payments

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.

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.