Global Payments Named Among 14 Best GARP Stocks by Analysts
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 27 2026
0mins
Should l Buy GPN?
Source: Yahoo Finance
- Analyst Price Target Increase: Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Ramsey El-Assal raised the price target for Global Payments from $80 to $88 while maintaining a Neutral rating, indicating cautious optimism about the company's future performance in the market.
- Positive Financial Outlook: The company anticipates a 5% adjusted net revenue growth for FY26, along with a 150 basis point expansion in adjusted operating margins, reflecting ongoing improvements in revenue and profitability.
- Acquisition and Divestiture Strategy: CEO Cameron Bready highlighted that Global Payments completed the Worldpay acquisition and successfully divested the Issuer Solutions business in January, marking a significant milestone in the company's strategic transformation.
- Cash Flow and Buyback Plan: The company achieved over 100% adjusted free cash flow conversion in 2025, enabling it to return $1 billion to shareholders and approve a $2.5 billion share repurchase program, which includes an immediate accelerated buyback of $550 million.
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Analyst Views on GPN
Wall Street analysts forecast GPN stock price to rise
16 Analyst Rating
6 Buy
10 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 65.900
Low
75.00
Averages
102.82
High
135.00
Current: 65.900
Low
75.00
Averages
102.82
High
135.00
About GPN
Global Payments Inc. is a payment technology and software company that powers commerce for businesses of all sizes worldwide. The Company helps businesses grow by delivering solutions that enable payment acceptance, smarter operations and client experiences - online, in store and everywhere in between. Through its Merchant Solutions business, it provides payments technology and software solutions globally to primarily small- and-medium sized businesses and select mid-market and enterprise customers. Its comprehensive offerings include authorization, settlement and funding services, customer support, chargeback resolution, reconciliation and dispute management services, terminal rental, sales and deployment, payment security services, consolidated billing and reporting. Its Worldpay is a payments technology and solutions company. It serves various industries, including restaurants, retail, services, sports and entertainment, K-12 education, higher education, and property management.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Market Share Expansion: Global Payments aims to dominate the merchant acquisition market through the acquisition of Worldpay, which is expected to accelerate cash flow and provide substantial returns to shareholders, thereby enhancing the company's position in the competitive payments industry.
- Financial Restructuring: The company undertook a major restructuring in early 2025, cutting costs and shedding assets, with expectations to boost free cash flow to $5 billion by 2028, further strengthening financial stability and supporting future shareholder return plans.
- Technological Innovation: Global Payments launched a new all-in-one point-of-sale system called Genius, aimed at enhancing brand recognition and customer loyalty, with analysts predicting this will drive greater success in future market promotions.
- Acquisition Integration: With the support of activist investor Elliott Management, Global Payments is integrating the Worldpay acquisition, expected to achieve $600 million in cost savings and enhance operational leverage, further strengthening its competitive edge in the market.
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- Rating Downgrade: Raymond James has downgraded Fiserv, Global Payments, and Shift4 Payments, reflecting a reassessment of overall growth expectations in the payments and fintech sectors, indicating weakened market confidence in these companies.
- P/E Compression: Analysts noted that the average NTM P/E for the payments industry has declined by approximately 45% to around 11x, highlighting an increased market focus on the durability of organic growth and earnings quality.
- Organic Growth Forecast: By 2026, organic revenue growth in the payments sector is expected to be about 55% lower than in 2022, exacerbating the market's recalibration of valuations and reflecting a cautious outlook on future growth.
- Impact of Downgrades: Raymond James lowered its ratings for Fiserv and Global Payments from Outperform to Market Perform, and for Shift4 Payments from Strong Buy to Outperform, which may influence investor confidence and stock performance for these companies.
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- Transaction Overview: Olympia Financial Group has agreed to sell its wholly owned subsidiary, Olympia Currency and Global Payments (OCGPI), to Shift Connect, although the financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed, indicating a strategic shift for the company.
- Business Impact: OCGPI, a boutique foreign exchange and global payments firm, specializes in providing customized currency exchange and cross-border payment services to individuals and small- to mid-sized businesses across Canada, and is expected to gain access to more currencies and banking relationships under Shift Connect's ownership.
- Operational Stability: Olympia stated that there will be no immediate changes to day-to-day operations, ensuring stability for clients and employees during the transition period while laying the groundwork for OCGPI's next phase of growth.
- Market Outlook: Shift Connect focuses on digital payments and financial technology, and this acquisition is expected to further strengthen its position in the domestic financial services market, with the transaction anticipated to complete on or before March 31, 2026, subject to Bank of Canada approval.
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- CEO Presentation Scheduled: Global Payments CEO Cameron Bready will present live at the Wolfe FinTech Forum on March 10 at 1:05 p.m. ET in New York, showcasing the company's leadership in payment technology.
- Live Webcast Available: Interested investors can listen to the live webcast of the fireside chat from the investor relations section of the company's website, ensuring broad investor engagement and transparency.
- Replay Service Offered: A replay of the webcast will be available after the event, further enhancing communication and information sharing between the company and its investors.
- Company Background Overview: Global Payments manages trillions in payment volume across over 175 countries, and as a Fortune 500 company, it leverages innovative solutions to help businesses achieve seamless payment acceptance and exceptional customer experiences.
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- Workforce Reduction: Block announced a 40% workforce cut, reducing its headcount from over 10,000 to just under 6,000, indicating a strategic shift in operations influenced by AI tools, which is expected to significantly enhance overall efficiency and profitability.
- Stock Price Reaction: Following the layoff announcement, Block's stock surged approximately 25% in after-hours trading, ultimately closing up 17%, reflecting increased investor confidence in the company's future profitability.
- Earnings Forecast: Block's annual earnings forecast surpassed market expectations, with analysts generally optimistic that AI-driven efficiencies will drive profit growth, leading Morgan Stanley to upgrade its rating to overweight.
- Restructuring Costs: Block anticipates restructuring costs between $450 million and $500 million, primarily front-loaded in the first quarter, with Dorsey opting for a one-time layoff approach to mitigate long-term negative impacts on employee morale.
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- Analyst Price Target Increase: Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Ramsey El-Assal raised the price target for Global Payments from $80 to $88 while maintaining a Neutral rating, indicating cautious optimism about the company's future performance in the market.
- Positive Financial Outlook: The company anticipates a 5% adjusted net revenue growth for FY26, along with a 150 basis point expansion in adjusted operating margins, reflecting ongoing improvements in revenue and profitability.
- Acquisition and Divestiture Strategy: CEO Cameron Bready highlighted that Global Payments completed the Worldpay acquisition and successfully divested the Issuer Solutions business in January, marking a significant milestone in the company's strategic transformation.
- Cash Flow and Buyback Plan: The company achieved over 100% adjusted free cash flow conversion in 2025, enabling it to return $1 billion to shareholders and approve a $2.5 billion share repurchase program, which includes an immediate accelerated buyback of $550 million.
See More










