Raymond James Financial Upgrades Global Payments (NYSE:GPN) to “Moderate Buy”

21 Feb 2026, 11:32 by Michael Walen · The Markets Daily

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN – Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Raymond James Financial to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on GPN. Zacks Research upgraded Global Payments to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Global Payments to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Global Payments in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup upgraded Global Payments to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $91.14.

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Global Payments Stock Up 2.7%

NYSE GPN opened at $82.46 on Wednesday. Global Payments has a 12 month low of $65.93 and a 12 month high of $106.26. The company has a market capitalization of $19.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.24, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 0.76. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $76.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Global Payments (NYSE:GPN – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.32 billion. Global Payments had a net margin of 16.92% and a return on equity of 12.72%. 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 firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. Global Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.800-14.000 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Global Payments will post 11.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Global Payments

In other news, insider David Lawrence Green sold 11,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.99, for a total transaction of $927,884.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 68,096 shares in the company, valued at $5,446,999.04. The trade was a 14.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David M. Sheffield sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.41, for a total value of $164,122.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,438 shares in the company, valued at $1,175,397.58. This trade represents a 12.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Global Payments

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPN. Pettee Investors Inc. grew its holdings in Global Payments by 24.1% during the second quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. now owns 15,672 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 3,040 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its holdings in shares of Global Payments by 260.5% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 29,446 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,446,000 after buying an additional 21,278 shares during the period. BIP Wealth LLC grew its stake in Global Payments by 151.6% in the 3rd quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 30,103 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,501,000 after buying an additional 18,138 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in Global Payments in the 3rd quarter worth $905,000. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Global Payments by 213.9% during the 3rd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 36,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,062,000 after acquiring an additional 25,118 shares during the last quarter. 89.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Global Payments News

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

Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and robust 2026 guidance — GPN reported adjusted Q4 EPS above estimates and set FY‑2026 guidance of $13.80–$14.00, which topped the Street and implies double‑digit EPS growth; that beat/guide combo is the core catalyst for the rally. Read More.
Positive Sentiment: $2.5B total buyback program, including $550M accelerated repurchase — management approved an expanded $2.5B repurchase framework and kicked off $550M of accelerated buys, which reduces share count and supports EPS. Read More. Read More.
Positive Sentiment: New quarterly dividend announced — GPN declared a $0.25 quarterly dividend, signaling confidence in cash flow and adding modest income appeal to the stock. Read More.
Positive Sentiment: Analyst upside and supportive notes — several firms raised price targets or reiterated constructive views (Wells Fargo raised its PT to $105; Keefe Bruyette & Woods raised to $90), lending validation to the company’s outlook. Read More.
Neutral Sentiment: Technical momentum — GPN cleared its 20-, 50- and 200‑day moving averages, which attracts momentum/technical buyers but doesn’t change fundamentals. Read More.
Negative Sentiment: Heightened bearish/options activity — recent unusual activity showed a sharp rise in put buying (about 7,593 puts, ~112% above average), which could signal some hedging or skepticism from options traders even as the stock rallies.
Negative Sentiment: Mixed sell‑side stance — some firms remain cautious: BNP Paribas raised its price target but kept an Underperform rating, highlighting that not all analysts are convinced the upside is sustainable. Read More.

Global Payments Company Profile

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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.