GPN vs PAYC vs PCTY Stock Comparison

Global Payments, Paycom Software and Paylocity Holding Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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GPN Global Payments Inc
$95.36 +16.6% 1M +20.4% 1Y
Market cap
$25.23B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$11.49B
Div. yield
1.05%
Payment Processing Technology
5 wins
PAYC Paycom Software, Inc.
$249.99 +12.4% 1M +36.1% 1Y
Market cap
$11.26B
P/E
21.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.19B
Div. yield
0.61%
HR Software Technology
5 wins
PCTY Paylocity Holding Corp
$169.38 +15.9% 1M +16.4% 1Y
Market cap
$9.02B
P/E
34.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.77B
Div. yield
–
HR Software Technology
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Global Payments leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Global Payments 5, Paycom Software 5, Paylocity Holding 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionGPNPAYCPCTYLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $25.23B $11.26B $9.02B GPN
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -19.6x 21.7x 34.0x PAYC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 7.4x 21.3x 20.5x GPN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +48.5% +9.5% +11.0% GPN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -11.2% 23.3% 15.2% PAYC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 0.0% 35.6% 21.0% PAYC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 4.7x 0.6x -0.4x PCTY
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.05% 0.61% — GPN
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +20.4% +36.1% +16.4% PAYC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -7.0%/yr -13.1%/yr -9.6%/yr GPN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 41.7% 47.4% 41.7% PCTY
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 46/100 63/100 63/100 PAYC

Percentile Scorecard

GPNPAYCPCTY

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisGPNPAYCPCTY
Valuation 66 #34 of 99 52 #49 of 100 50 #51 of 100
Growth 25 #71 of 94 56 #44 of 99 67 #33 of 99
Profitability 61 #36 of 90 98 #3 of 96 84 #16 of 96
Financial Health 28 #76 of 105 43 #64 of 112 59 #47 of 112
Shareholder Returns 53 #30 of 62 67 #23 of 67 55 #31 of 67
Overall 46 63 63
  • GPN ranked among 109 companies in Fintech
  • PAYC ranked among 113 companies in Business Applications
  • PCTY ranked among 113 companies in Business Applications

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodGPNPAYCPCTYSPY
1 month +16.6%+12.4%+15.9% -5.9%
3 months +8.7%+15.6%+11.8% -4.6%
6 months +36.0%+80.6%+55.2% +0.2%
Year to date +23.2%+56.9%+11.1% +7.5%
1 year +20.4%+36.1%+16.4% +8.2%
3 years -14.1%+55.4%+19.4% +68.3%
3 years, per year -4.9%+15.8%+6.1% +19.0%
5 years -30.3%-50.4%-39.5% +56.5%
5 years, per year -7.0%-13.1%-9.6% +9.4%
10 years +34.7%+481.6%+369.8% +251.5%
10 years, per year +3.0%+19.3%+16.7% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureGPNPAYCPCTYSPY
Volatility, 1Y 41.7%47.4%41.7% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 35.8%43.4%40.9% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.770.22-0.14 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.490.760.39 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -58.8%-77.8%-65.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -4.3%-9.0%-4.7% -5.9%
52-week high $99.62$274.60$177.67 $779.14
52-week low $62.47$113.59$95.10 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleGPNPAYCPCTY
P/E now vs peer median -19.6xmedian 22.5x 21.7xmedian 24.7x 34.0xmedian 24.7x
P/S now vs peer median 2.2xmedian 2.1x 5.1xmedian 2.8x 5.1xmedian 2.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 11.2xmedian 23.6x 12.6xmedian 16.5x 17.7xmedian 16.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median -149.3xmedian 17.3x 17.1xmedian 15.3x 18.2xmedian 15.3x
P/B now vs peer median 1.1xmedian 1.7x 15.9xmedian 2.7x 7.4xmedian 2.7x
PEG now vs peer median 0.38median 0.64 0.86median 0.77 1.33median 0.77

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsGPNPAYCPCTY
Revenue $11.49B $2.19B $1.77B
Gross profit $7.07B $1.84B $1.23B
Operating income $783.04M $731.60M $385.99M
Net income -$1.24B $510.10M $269.74M
Free cash flow -$169.03M $659.10M $497.10M
R&D – $223.30M $221.39M
EPS (diluted) $-4.86 $11.46 $4.92
Cash & equivalents $5.57B $193.90M $271.92M
Total debt $23.70B $750.00M $81.25M
Shares (diluted) 265.16M 44.53M 54.77M
Enterprise value $686.02M $10.34B $8.12B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricGPNPAYCPCTY
P/E -19.6x 21.7x 34.0x
P/FCF -149.3x 17.1x 18.2x
P/Operating cash flow 34.6x 13.9x 16.9x
P/S 2.2x 5.1x 5.1x
P/B 1.1x 15.9x 7.4x
P/Tangible book 4.9x 16.6x 7.9x
EV/EBITDA 11.2x 12.6x 17.7x
EV/EBIT 55.4x 16.1x 22.9x
EV/Revenue 3.8x 5.4x 5.0x
EV/FCF -256.5x 17.9x 17.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 59.6x 14.6x 16.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.38 0.86 1.33

Growth

14 metrics
MetricGPNPAYCPCTY
Revenue growth (1Y) 48.5% 9.5% 11.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.7% 10.4% 14.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 24.9% 10.8% 11.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.2% 10.4% 14.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) -65.0% 31.0% 27.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -21.6% 17.5% 35.5%
Net income growth (1Y) -168.4% 12.6% 18.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -49.4% 14.6% 24.2%
EPS growth (1Y) -166.7% 42.6% 22.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -51.1% 25.1% 25.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -75.9% 25.9% 27.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -31.9% 19.1% 23.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -107.1% 67.1% 22.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -28.1% 29.6% 24.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricGPNPAYCPCTY
Gross margin 61.5% 84.0% 69.2%
EBITDA margin 33.6% 42.6% 28.1%
Operating margin 6.8% 33.4% 21.8%
Pretax margin -0.4% 32.7% 21.9%
Net margin -11.2% 23.3% 15.2%
FCF margin -1.5% 30.1% 28.1%
Operating cash flow margin 6.3% 37.0% 30.1%
Return on equity -5.1% 79.8% 22.5%
Return on assets -1.9% 9.0% 5.2%
Return on invested capital 0.0% 35.6% 21.0%
Return on capital employed 1.6% 48.7% 22.1%
Asset turnover 0.2x 0.4x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -0.6x 1.6x 2.0x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% 3.6% 7.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricGPNPAYCPCTY
Debt / assets 38.0% 12.3% 1.7%
Debt / equity 1.0x 1.1x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 4.7x 0.6x -0.4x
Debt / FCF -140.2x 1.1x 0.2x
Liabilities / assets 61.9% 88.4% 75.0%
Equity / assets 38.1% 11.6% 25.0%
Interest coverage 0.8x 27.2x –
Current ratio 0.8x 1.1x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.1x 0.1x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.0x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 0.66 2.66 2.51

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricGPNPAYCPCTY
Dividend yield 1.0% 0.6% –
Net buyback yield 4.8% 13.2% 4.3%
Shareholder yield 5.9% 13.8% 4.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) -20.9% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) -153.7% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 7.4% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -0.2% – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusGPNPAYCPCTY
Forward P/E 7.4xFY2026 21.3xFY2026 20.5xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $12.82FY2026 $11.74FY2026 $8.25FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +4.9%FY2026 +27.1%FY2026 -0.7%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +18.0% +14.6% +13.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $12.66BFY2026 $2.08BFY2026 $1.94BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +35.9%FY2026 +1.5%FY2026 +9.6%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +8.4% +11.2% -1.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersGPNPAYCPCTY
Held by institutions 100.0% 90.3% 85.4%
Institutions holding 794 596 468
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.4% -8.5% +2.3%
Institutions buying 375 295 274
Institutions selling 308 222 155
Buyers to sellers 1.22 1.33 1.77

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

GPNPAYCPCTY
GPN 1.00 0.36 0.43
PAYC 0.36 1.00 0.73
PCTY 0.43 0.73 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, GPN, PAYC and PCTY?

Global Payments (GPN) is the largest by market capitalisation: Global Payments (GPN) $25.23B, Paycom Software (PAYC) $11.26B, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) $9.02B.

Which stock is cheaper, GPN, PAYC and PCTY?

Paycom Software (PAYC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Global Payments (GPN) -19.6x, Paycom Software (PAYC) 21.7x, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 34.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Global Payments (GPN) is cheapest (Global Payments (GPN) 7.4x, Paycom Software (PAYC) 21.3x, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 20.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Global Payments (GPN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Global Payments (GPN) +48.5%, Paycom Software (PAYC) +9.5%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) +11.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Paycom Software (PAYC) has the highest net margin (Global Payments (GPN) -11.2%, Paycom Software (PAYC) 23.3%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 15.2%). On return on invested capital, Paycom Software (PAYC) leads (Global Payments (GPN) 0.0%, Paycom Software (PAYC) 35.6%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 21.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Paycom Software (PAYC) returned the most: Global Payments (GPN) +20.4%, Paycom Software (PAYC) +36.1%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) +16.4%. Over five years, Global Payments (GPN) compounded fastest (Global Payments (GPN) -7.0%/yr, Paycom Software (PAYC) -13.1%/yr, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) -9.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Global Payments (GPN) has the highest dividend yield: Global Payments (GPN) 1.05%, Paycom Software (PAYC) 0.61%. Paylocity Holding (PCTY) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) has been the steadiest (Global Payments (GPN) 41.7%, Paycom Software (PAYC) 47.4%, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) 41.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, GPN, PAYC and PCTY?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Global Payments (GPN) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.