New York, Feb 19, 2026, 09:00 EST — Premarket
- Shares stuck close to $81 ahead of the open, after a sharp jump in the prior session.
- For 2026, the company pegged its adjusted EPS between $13.80 and $14.00. It’s also eyeing a $2.5 billion buyback.
- The board, after discussions with Elliott, added a new independent director effective Feb. 19.
Global Payments Inc shares lingered around $81 in Thursday’s U.S. premarket, barely budging after a 16.5% surge took them to $81.26 the day before. The Atlanta-based payments firm unveiled an expanded share repurchase, a $0.25 dividend, and guidance for 2026 profit that topped analyst expectations. 1
Global Payments is turning a corner. The company, still managing the impact of its headline-making deals, now counts Worldpay among its assets, with Issuer Solutions spun off. Investors are pushing for sharper targets and proof that earnings growth won’t stall once the easy cost cuts have been made.
This is a group where payments stocks tend to react directly to shifts in transaction volumes—not headline-grabbing stories. If consumers pull back, transaction fees can take a hit. But when spending holds up and a company keeps pushing margins higher, keeps buybacks steady, investors may find reasons to revisit.
Global Payments expects adjusted EPS for 2026 to land between $13.80 and $14.00—just ahead of the $13.64 Wall Street consensus compiled by LSEG. CEO Cameron Bready is sticking with the company’s commitment to send $7.5 billion back to shareholders by the close of 2027. 2
The company said its board signed off on $2.5 billion for share buybacks, and it’s wasting no time—$550 million will go out fast in an accelerated repurchase handled through a bank, sidestepping the slower open-market approach. There’s also a $0.25 dividend set, payable March 30 to shareholders of record as of March 9.
Global Payments turned in adjusted earnings per share of $3.18 for the fourth quarter, reporting $2.32 billion in adjusted net revenue. Margins saw an uptick, and the company held steady on its 2026 outlook—still aiming for about 5% adjusted net revenue growth, constant currency, with currency swings out of the picture.
Elsewhere, Global Payments brought Vivek Sankaran onto its board as an independent director, effective Thursday. Board chair Troy Woods called him “a terrific addition.” CEO Bready highlighted Sankaran’s experience as key for the Worldpay integration. 3
The battle for merchants among payments processors isn’t letting up—Visa, Mastercard, Fiserv, PayPal, all in the mix. Global Payments leans on its scale and software push as a differentiator, arguing it’s enough to win. Investors haven’t seen enough proof yet.
Risks aren’t going anywhere. Integrations could get bogged down, synergies might not materialize, and sharper pricing battles loom—especially if transaction volumes soften or merchants resist higher fees. There’s also the company’s “adjusted” figures to consider; these exclude certain items, so the reported numbers might not match the real cash flow down the line.
All attention now shifts to whether Wednesday’s re-rating holds at the open, and if buybacks show up quickly after. Coming up: Sankaran joins the board on Feb. 19, a fresh chief accounting officer starts March 1, and March 9 marks the dividend record date. 4
