Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) Stock Price Expected to Rise, BNP Paribas Exane Analyst Says

Posted by Grant Hamersma on Feb 20th, 2026

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN – Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by equities researchers at BNP Paribas Exane from $73.00 to $76.00 in a report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an “underperform” rating on the business services provider’s stock. BNP Paribas Exane’s price objective points to a potential downside of 6.99% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Global Payments from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Global Payments from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Stephens dropped their price target on Global Payments from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 16th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Global Payments from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $80.00 price target on the stock. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Global Payments has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $91.14.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Global Payments

Global Payments Stock Up 1.8%

Global Payments stock traded up $1.46 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $81.71. 189,976 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,662,975. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.69. The firm has a market cap of $19.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.02, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.76. The business has a fifty day moving average of $76.01 and a 200 day moving average of $80.41. Global Payments has a 12-month low of $65.93 and a 12-month high of $106.26.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion for 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%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.85 earnings per share. Global Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.800-14.000 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Global Payments will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider David Lawrence Green sold 11,600 shares of Global Payments stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.99, for a total value of $927,884.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 68,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,446,999.04. This trade represents a 14.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert H. B. Baldwin, Jr. acquired 10,392 shares of Global Payments stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were bought 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 directly owned 59,303 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,828,450.26. This trade represents a 21.25% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.01% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Global Payments

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GPN. Michels Family Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Global Payments by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Michels Family Financial LLC now owns 4,269 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $330,000 after buying an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Global Payments by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 27,258 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,967,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Global Payments during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,331,000. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Global Payments in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in Global Payments by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 14,449 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,118,000 after buying an additional 874 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Global Payments

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

About Global Payments

(Get 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.