Global Payments Inc. $GPN Shares Bought by CenterBook Partners LP

CenterBook Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) by 91.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,280 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 17,304 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP’s holdings in Global Payments were worth $3,014,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in GPN. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of Global Payments in the 4th quarter valued at $725,000. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in Global Payments in the 1st quarter valued at $243,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 worth $1,416,000 after purchasing an additional 4,386 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Global Payments by 3.0% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 11,510 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $943,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the period. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its stake in shares of Global Payments by 0.5% in the second quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 68,277 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,395,000 after buying an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. 89.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. bought 10,392 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $81.42 per share, for a total transaction of $846,116.64. Following the transaction, the director owned 59,303 shares in the company, valued at $4,828,450.26. The trade was a 21.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David M. Sheffield sold 2,016 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.41, for a total value of $164,122.56. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,438 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,175,397.58. This represents a 12.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.01% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Global Payments Trading Up 16.5%

GPN opened at $81.27 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.24 billion, a PE ratio of 11.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $76.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Global Payments Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.93 and a 12-month high of $107.27.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.32 billion. Global Payments had a net margin of 19.68% and a return on equity of 12.66%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.85 EPS. Global Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.800-14.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Global Payments Inc. will post 11.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Global Payments Announces Dividend

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

Key Global Payments News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat on EPS and showed margin strength (Merchant Solutions); EPS was $3.18 vs. $3.16 consensus, supporting confidence in earnings power. Business Wire: Q4 and Full‑Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY‑2026 guidance to $13.80–$14.00 EPS (above Street), which signals double‑digit profit growth and drove much of the rally. Fool: Why GPN Stock Jumped
• Positive Sentiment: Large shareholder return: company unveiled a multi‑billion dollar buyback (reported as ~$2.5B by coverage), signaling confidence and reducing float. Benzinga: $2.5B Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared ($0.25 per share, record March 9), adding steady shareholder yield and signaling cash‑flow confidence.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management framed a strategic pivot around the Worldpay platform and growth initiatives; tone was upbeat but execution risk remains as integration and growth plans proceed. TipRanks: Worldpay Growth Pivot
• Neutral Sentiment: Several bullish analyst/market commentaries label GPN as undervalued or offering multi‑bagger potential—useful for sentiment but dependent on sustained execution. Seeking Alpha: Undervalued Thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry note: payments players face elevated tech and operating costs even as cross‑border and e‑commerce trends support long‑term growth. Zacks: Payments Industry Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue growth was modest (≈1.4% YoY) and management flagged higher costs; investors should watch margin trends as technology and integration spending can pressure profitability. Zacks: Q4 — Costs Temper Results

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on GPN. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Global Payments to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $93.00 target price on shares of Global Payments in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Stephens lowered their price target on shares of Global Payments from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Global Payments in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $80.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Global Payments has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $91.75.

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.