Vanguard Group Inc. Has $1.96 Billion Holdings in Global Payments Inc. $GPN

Posted by Scott Moore on Feb 20th, 2026

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN – Free Report) by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,542,460 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 149,441 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.70% of Global Payments worth $1,955,908,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its holdings in shares of Global Payments by 242.2% in the third quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 308 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Global Payments in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Global Payments in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. SouthState Bank Corp bought a new stake in Global Payments in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in Global Payments during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David M. Sheffield sold 2,016 shares of Global Payments stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.41, for a total transaction of $164,122.56. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,438 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,175,397.58. The trade was a 12.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider David Lawrence Green sold 11,600 shares of the company’s 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 owned 68,096 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,446,999.04. This trade represents a 14.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.01% of the company’s stock.

Global Payments Trading Down 1.3%

Global Payments stock opened at $80.24 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $80.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.86, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.69. Global Payments Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.93 and a 52 week high of $106.90.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.32 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. The business’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. Analysts expect that Global Payments Inc. will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Global Payments from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Global Payments from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Global Payments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Global Payments currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $91.90.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Global Payments

More Global Payments News

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

Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS slightly topped estimates and management gave robust FY‑2026 guidance (EPS $13.80–$14.00), a lead catalyst for the jump in the stock. Why Global Payments Stock Blasted Nearly 17% Higher on Wednesday
Positive Sentiment: Board approved a $2.5B share buyback (including accelerated repurchases) and declared a quarterly dividend — clear shareholder-return actions that support the rally. Global Payments Issues Strong Profit Outlook, Unveils $2.5 Billion Stock Buyback
Positive Sentiment: Analysts are lifting targets and revising ratings — most notably Wells Fargo raised its target to $105 (overweight), which helps sentiment and gives upside expectations. Benzinga
Positive Sentiment: Technical momentum: GPN has pushed above its 20-, 50- and 200-day moving averages, attracting momentum and technical buyers. Global Payments Recently Broke Out Above the 20-Day Moving Average
Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results were mixed: adjusted EPS beat narrowly but revenue essentially met/was flat year-over-year and costs remain elevated — fundamentals supportive but not uniformly strong. Global Payments Q4 Earnings Meet Estimates
Neutral Sentiment: Market reaction already baked in much of the near-term upside (strong guidance + buyback), so further gains depend on execution and margin improvement over 2026. Result Reaction Underpins Low Expectations Thesis
Negative Sentiment: Unusual put-option buying was observed (large increase vs. average), which could signal hedging or a subset of traders betting on near-term weakness. (Trading report)
Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious (e.g., UBS maintained a Hold), noting the outlook is conservative and medium-term upside depends on Worldpay integration and cost control. Global Payments: Conservative 2026 Outlook Offsetting Medium-Term Upside
Negative Sentiment: Revenue growth was modest and higher operating costs were highlighted on the call — miss any future execution targets and the stock could give back gains. Global Payments’ shares surge on quarterly profit rise, strong annual forecast

Global Payments Profile

(Free Report)

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.