Global Payments (GPN) Stock Surges After $2.5B Buyback and Strong 2026 Outlook

TLDR

• GPN stock surged nearly 17% Wednesday after a Q4 earnings beat and strong 2026 guidance
• Adjusted Q4 EPS came in at $3.18, ahead of the $3.16 consensus
• 2026 EPS guidance of $13.80–$14.00 topped the Street estimate of $13.78
• Board approved a $2.5B share buyback, including $550M in accelerated repurchases
• Company completed Worldpay acquisition and Issuer Solutions divestiture in Q4

Global Payments stock had a standout Wednesday, jumping nearly 17% to close at $81.27 after the company posted a Q4 earnings beat and issued guidance that left analysts’ estimates in the dust.

The stock opened sharply higher and held its gains through the session, finishing up $11.50 on the day.

Q4 adjusted EPS came in at $3.18, edging past the $3.16 consensus. That’s up from $2.85 in Q4 2024, though slightly below the $3.26 posted in Q3 2025.

Global Payments Inc., GPN

Adjusted net revenue for the quarter was $2.32 billion, matching expectations and up 1% year-over-year.

Buyback and Dividend

The board authorized up to $2.5 billion in share repurchases. Of that, $550 million will be bought back immediately through an accelerated repurchase agreement.

CEO Cameron Bready said the company is on track to return $7.5 billion to shareholders through end of 2027, in line with targets set at the 2024 investor conference.

Global Payments also confirmed a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, yielding around 1.2%, payable March 30 to shareholders of record as of March 9. The dividend rate has been consistent since September 2021.

The company expects to return more than $2 billion to shareholders in 2026 through dividends and repurchases combined.

2026 Outlook

Full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance came in at $13.80 to $14.00, reflecting 13% to 15% growth over 2025 and clearing the $13.78 analyst consensus.

Constant currency adjusted net revenue is expected to grow around 5%, excluding dispositions, compared with 1.8% growth in 2025. Adjusted operating margin is projected to expand by roughly 150 basis points.

The Q4 adjusted operating margin expanded 80 basis points year-over-year to 44.7%.

Restructuring Complete

The guidance comes after a busy Q4 on the corporate front. Global Payments completed its acquisition of Worldpay and finalized the divestiture of its Issuer Solutions unit to Fidelity National Information Services (FIS), repositioning itself as a pure-play merchant solutions provider.

Issuer Solutions had been classified as discontinued operations since Q2 2025. The segment posted $557.1 million in Q4 adjusted net revenue, up from $530.1 million a year earlier.

Merchant Solutions, now the company’s core segment, generated $1.78 billion in Q4 adjusted net revenue, roughly flat with the year-ago period.

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