Zacks Research Lowers Earnings Estimates for Global Payments

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Global Payments in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, May 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings of $3.49 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $3.55. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Global Payments’ current full-year earnings is $13.89 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Global Payments’ Q3 2026 earnings at $3.66 EPS.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The business services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.14. Global Payments had a negative net margin of 7.99% and a positive return on equity of 13.11%. The firm had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.82 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 63.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Global Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.800-14.000 EPS.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Global Payments from $81.00 to $76.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Global Payments in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. They set a “market perform” rating and a $76.00 price objective on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on shares of Global Payments from $88.00 to $76.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered Global Payments from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Global Payments from $97.00 to $82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Global Payments presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $84.29.

Global Payments Stock Performance

Shares of GPN opened at $72.73 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $68.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Global Payments has a 52-week low of $62.45 and a 52-week high of $90.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -35.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.75.

Global Payments Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 12th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. Global Payments’s payout ratio is -49.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Global Payments

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPN. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in Global Payments during the fourth quarter valued at about $725,000. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in Global Payments in the 1st quarter worth approximately $243,000. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Global Payments by 43.5% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 14,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,416,000 after purchasing an additional 4,386 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Global Payments by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 41,577 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,327,000 after buying an additional 2,840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. grew its position in Global Payments by 236.6% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 28,622 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,291,000 after acquiring an additional 20,119 shares in the last quarter. 89.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Global Payments

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research lifted its earnings estimates for FY2027, Q3 2027, and Q4 2027, suggesting analysts see stronger profit potential over the next couple of years. Global Payments analyst estimate updates
• Positive Sentiment: The company recently beat quarterly expectations, with revenue and EPS topping consensus, which may be supporting investor confidence in Global Payments’ operating momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Global Payments presented at J.P. Morgan’s annual technology, media and communications conference, which likely kept the stock in focus but did not include a clear new catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader analyst coverage still points to an average “Hold” rating, indicating sentiment remains cautious rather than strongly bullish.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed some nearer-term and long-term estimates, including Q1 2027, Q1 2028, and FY2028, which may limit enthusiasm around the stock’s near-term outlook.

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.