Global Payments Projects 2019 Adj. EPS To Rise 14%-18%

(RTTNews) - Global Payments Inc. (GPN) announced the company expects 2019 adjusted net revenue plus network fees to range from $4.43 billion to $4.49 billion, reflecting growth of 12% to 13% over 2018 results and adjusted earnings per share to be in a range of $5.90 to $6.10, reflecting growth of 14% to 18% over 2018. Annual adjusted operating margin for 2019 is expected to expand by up to 70 basis points.

For the fourth-quarter, adjusted earnings per share grew 24% to $1.33, compared to $1.07 in the fourth quarter of 2017. Adjusted operating margin expanded 80 basis points to 31.6%. Adjusted net revenue plus network fees grew over 12% to $1.04 billion, compared to $923.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Global Payments' Board of Directors approved a dividend of $0.01 per share payable March 29, 2019 to shareholders of record as of March 15, 2019. The Board also approved an increase to the existing authorization for the company's share repurchase program, raising the total available authorization to $750 million.