Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 12,565,607 shares, an increase of 26.5% from the January 29th total of 9,935,133 shares. Currently, 5.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 3,843,629 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days. Based on an average daily volume of 3,843,629 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days. Currently, 5.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Global Payments Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:GPN opened at $77.51 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $75.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Global Payments has a 12-month low of $65.93 and a 12-month high of $101.32.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.32 billion. Global Payments had a return on equity of 12.72% and a net margin of 16.92%.Global Payments’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. Global Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.800-14.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Global Payments will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. Global Payments’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on GPN shares. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Global Payments from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Evercore dropped their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $90.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $88.00 target price (up from $80.00) on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Global Payments in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $80.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $91.52.

Insider Buying and Selling at Global Payments

In related 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 transaction of $164,122.56. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. purchased 10,392 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 acquisition, the director owned 59,303 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,828,450.26. This represents a 21.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Global Payments

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPN. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global Payments during the fourth quarter worth about $725,000. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in Global Payments during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $243,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Global Payments by 43.5% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 14,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,416,000 after buying an additional 4,386 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Global Payments by 82.0% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 8,738 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $699,000 after buying an additional 3,938 shares during the period. Finally, Versor Investments LP grew its position in shares of Global Payments by 382.8% in the 2nd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 11,591 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $928,000 after buying an additional 9,190 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

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.