U.S. Payment Company Completes Worldpay Acquisition, Announces $2.5 Billion Share Buyback and Dividend Increase

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN) announced adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.18 for the fourth quarter of 2025 and full-year adjusted EPS of $12.22, with annual adjusted net revenue of about $9.32 billion (KRW 12 trillion). The company completed its acquisition of Worldpay and the sale of its issuer solutions business, repositioning itself as a pure-play merchant solutions provider. For 2026, Global Payments projects roughly 5% adjusted net revenue growth, approximately 1.5 percentage points of adjusted operating margin improvement, and adjusted EPS between $13.80 and $14.00.

The board approved a $2.5 billion share repurchase program (about KRW 3 trillion) and a capital return plan totaling $7.5 billion (around KRW 10 trillion) through the end of 2027. It also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share payable March 30 and appointed Jennifer Bozeman White as chief accounting officer and principal accounting officer, effective March 1.

On February 27, the company granted CEO Cameron Brady a restricted stock award valued at about $9.39 million (KRW 12 billion). On February 28 and March 1, Brady returned a portion of his shares to cover taxes on previously vested awards. After these transactions, he holds roughly $430 million worth of Global Payments common stock.

In January, Global Payments finalized the Worldpay acquisition and its issuer solutions divestiture, creating a global merchant payment platform that processes about $3.7 trillion in annual payment volume. In February, it launched a $550 million accelerated share repurchase program. This month, the company issued $1 billion of corporate notes—$500 million due 2028 and $500 million due 2033 (around KRW 1.3 trillion)—to strengthen its post-acquisition balance sheet.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Global Payments is a payment processing and fintech company providing card and electronic payment infrastructure and software-based solutions to merchants worldwide. Contactless payments, e-commerce expansion, fintech competition, and evolving regulations and fee structures are key drivers of growth and profitability in the global payments industry.