Global Payments Q3 profit rises 10%, raises Worldpay synergy target
Adjusted EPS of $3.58 was in line with the $3.61 consensus estimate, and adjusted revenue of $3.18 billion was in line with the $3.21 billion estimate. The company kept its 2026 forecast.
Key takeaways
- Global Payments (GPN) reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.58 per share, up 10% from a year earlier and in line with the $3.61 consensus estimate. Adjusted net revenue was $3.18 billion, in line with the $3.21 billion estimate. The company reaffirmed its 2026 adjusted EPS forecast of $13.60 to $13.80 and raised its Worldpay synergy target to $650 million.
Global Payments (GPN) posted adjusted earnings of $3.58 per share for the third quarter, up 10% from a year earlier and in line with the $3.61 consensus.
Shares were little changed at 10:10 a.m. ET, from a $96.09 close.
Adjusted net revenue was $3.18 billion, in line with the $3.21 billion consensus and up 31% from $2.43 billion a year earlier. On a normalized basis, adjusted net revenue increased more than 4%.
Here's how the company did:
- Adjusted EPS: $3.58 vs. $3.61 expected, up from $3.26 a year earlier
- GAAP diluted EPS: $1.06 vs. $2.64 a year earlier
- Adjusted net revenue: $3.18 billion vs. $3.21 billion expected, up from $2.43 billion a year earlier
- GAAP revenue: $3.31 billion vs. $2.02 billion a year earlier
On a normalized basis, adjusted operating margin expanded 220 basis points to 42.5%.
2026 outlook
Full-year outlook held: normalized, constant currency adjusted net revenue growth of about 4% to 5%, adjusted EPS of $13.60 to $13.80, and adjusted operating margin expansion of about 150 basis points.
Run-rate Worldpay integration expense synergies rose to $650 million. Cameron Bready, chief executive officer, said: “giving us confidence to increase our run-rate expense synergy target to $650 million.”
Capital returns
The board approved a dividend of 25 cents per share, payable Dec. 24 to holders of record as of Dec. 10.
The company has returned more than $1.4 billion to shareholders so far this year and expects to return more than $2 billion in 2026.
Costs and adjustments
Adjusted figures exclude $754.5 million of amortization of acquired intangibles and $222.4 million of acquisition, integration and separation expenses in the quarter.
Adjusted operating income rose 23.8% to $1.35 billion. GAAP net income attributable to Global Payments was $280.9 million in the quarter.
Net income went from $217.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2025 to a loss of $1.80 billion in the first quarter of 2026, then a profit of $13.0 million in the second quarter.