Global Payments Raises Worldpay Integration Savings Target to $650 Million Annually
Key Facts
Global Payments raised its target for annualized expense savings from integrating Worldpay to $650 million, citing integration progress, according to third-quarter results the company announced on November 5. CEO Cameron Bready said the progress made gave the company confidence to increase the target, which is tied to realizing the savings by the end of 2028. The announcement came alongside adjusted net revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2026. This revenue rose about 31% year over year, while growth on a pro forma basis exceeded 4%. The pro forma comparison includes Worldpay results from before the acquisition, so it differs from the reported annual increase in adjusted revenue.
Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $3.58 in the third quarter, up 10% from the year-earlier period, the company said. Diluted earnings per share under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) were $1.06, a separate measure from the adjusted figure. Adjusted operating margin expanded 220 basis points on a pro forma basis, reaching 42.5%. These indicators put the quarter’s performance in the context of revenue growth, margin expansion and improved adjusted profitability. Pro forma revenue growth, which exceeded 4%, allows for a closer comparison with annual guidance after accounting for Worldpay results from before the acquisition and excluding divested businesses.
The company kept its fiscal 2026 guidance unchanged, according to Chief Financial Officer Josh Whipple. It expects pro forma, constant-currency growth in adjusted net revenue of about 4% to 5%, and adjusted earnings per share of $13.60 to $13.80. It also expects pro forma adjusted operating margin to expand by about 150 basis points for the full year. That expected annual increase differs from the 220-basis-point margin expansion in the third quarter: the former is a full-year forecast, while the latter reflects one quarter’s performance. The announced guidance puts pro forma revenue growth in a range close to the rate the company recorded in the quarter.
The pro forma comparison, the company said, includes Worldpay results from before the acquisition and excludes Issuer Solutions and other businesses that were divested. Adjusted net revenue is also a non-GAAP measure, making the adjusted figures and GAAP measures different presentations of the results. Adjusted revenue was $3.181975 billion in the three months ended September 30, 2026, compared with $2.428678 billion in the corresponding period of 2025, an annual increase of 31.0%. The pro forma comparison is useful for reading growth after changes in the business scope, while the year-over-year figures reflect the change between reported revenue in the two periods. The company said progress in integrating Worldpay supports raising its target for annualized expense savings, with the timeframe for realizing them extending to the end of 2028.
The company’s board approved a cash dividend of $0.25 per share, payable on December 24, 2026, to shareholders of record on December 10. In trading, GPN shares closed at $96.09 on November 4, according to EL7 data. That closing price reflects the session before the results announcement, and the available facts do not include a documented intraday high. The next announced dates for shareholders are the December record date followed by the dividend payment in the same month. Management kept its full-year operating and financial forecasts at their announced levels as the company continues integrating Worldpay and measuring the targeted savings through the end of 2028.