WEX vs FOUR vs GPN Stock Comparison

Wex, Shift4 Payments and Global Payments Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
WEX WEX Inc.
$186.17 +4.4% 1M +15.7% 1Y
Market cap
$6.51B
P/E
18.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.79B
Div. yield
–
Payment Processing Technology
6 wins
FOUR Shift4 Payments, Inc.
$37.78 -1.8% 1M -50.8% 1Y
Market cap
$2.98B
P/E
68.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.78B
Div. yield
–
Payment Processing Technology
1 win
GPN Global Payments Inc
$81.44 -5.8% 1M -6.2% 1Y
Market cap
$22.26B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$10.23B
Div. yield
0.01%
Payment Processing Technology
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Wex leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Wex 6, Global Payments 4, Shift4 Payments 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionWEXFOURGPNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $6.51B $2.98B $22.26B GPN
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 18.5x 68.1x -23.8x WEX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 8.7x 6.9x 6.4x GPN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.5% +32.4% +32.5% GPN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 12.6% 0.9% -9.1% WEX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 7.8% 4.9% 2.3% WEX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.7x 4.5x 4.8x WEX
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +15.7% -50.8% -6.2% WEX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +3.0%/yr -10.1%/yr -10.6%/yr WEX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 41.7% 66.2% 40.5% GPN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 54/100 66/100 50/100 FOUR

Percentile Scorecard

WEXFOURGPN

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

AxisWEXFOURGPN
Valuation 71 #29 of 99 89 #12 of 99 74 #27 of 99
Growth 46 #51 of 94 70 #29 of 94 26 #70 of 94
Profitability 72 #26 of 90 67 #30 of 90 63 #34 of 90
Financial Health 32 #72 of 105 20 #84 of 105 24 #80 of 105
Shareholder Returns 47 #33 of 61 85 #10 of 61 62 #24 of 61
Overall 54 66 50
  • WEX ranked among 109 companies in Fintech
  • FOUR ranked among 109 companies in Fintech
  • GPN ranked among 109 companies in Fintech

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodWEXFOURGPNSPY
1 month +4.4%-1.8%-5.8% -0.2%
3 months +1.8%-31.2%-6.9% +3.9%
6 months +22.1%-18.3%+20.0% +8.2%
Year to date +25.0%-40.0%+5.2% +12.9%
1 year +15.7%-50.8%-6.2% +12.3%
3 years +14.0%-13.4%-20.8% +87.4%
3 years, per year +4.5%-4.7%-7.5% +23.3%
5 years +15.7%-41.1%-43.0% +67.9%
5 years, per year +3.0%-10.1%-10.6% +10.9%
10 years +65.1%—+12.4% +261.1%
10 years, per year +5.1%—+1.2% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureWEXFOURGPNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 41.7%66.2%40.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 44.6%70.0%36.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.291.441.01 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.38-0.77-0.15 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -53.2%-71.7%-58.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -8.4%-50.8%-14.1% -1.2%
52-week high $203.22$76.76$94.85 $779.14
52-week low $126.86$35.57$62.47 $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.

MultipleWEXFOURGPN
P/E now vs peer median 18.4xmedian 20.0x 68.4xmedian 20.0x -23.5xmedian 20.0x
P/S now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 2.3x 1.2xmedian 2.3x 2.1xmedian 2.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 5.4xmedian 17.5x 10.8xmedian 17.5x 10.6xmedian 17.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 58.9xmedian 15.9x 13.6xmedian 15.9x 26.3xmedian 15.9x
P/B now vs peer median 4.7xmedian 2.0x 3.4xmedian 2.0x 0.9xmedian 2.0x
PEG now vs peer median 0.66median 1.03 -2.00median 1.03 0.51median 1.03

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 monthsWEXFOURGPN
Revenue $2.79B $4.78B $10.23B
Gross profit $1.66B $1.72B $6.54B
Operating income $711.30M $387.50M $1.27B
Net income $350.80M $122.40M -$873.78M
Free cash flow $108.50M $433.00M $822.72M
EPS (diluted) $10.05 $0.55 $-3.46
Cash & equivalents $1.16B $356.00M $5.41B
Total debt $5.36B $4.51B $23.56B
Shares (diluted) 34.90M 79.64M 270.12M
Enterprise value -$15.19B -$321.17M $53.61M

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
MetricWEXFOURGPN
P/E 18.4x 68.4x -23.5x
P/FCF 58.9x 13.6x 26.3x
P/Operating cash flow 24.3x 9.9x 13.1x
P/S 2.3x 1.2x 2.1x
P/B 4.7x 3.4x 0.9x
P/Tangible book 22.0x -5.0x 5.0x
EV/EBITDA 5.4x 10.8x 10.6x
EV/EBIT 7.9x 25.9x 31.4x
EV/Revenue 2.0x 2.1x 3.9x
EV/FCF 52.0x 23.2x 48.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.5x 16.9x 24.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.66 -2.00 0.51

Growth

14 metrics
MetricWEXFOURGPN
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.5% 32.4% 32.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.2% 28.2% 3.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 7.5% 55.7% 14.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 3.9% 42.6% 5.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 6.5% 41.2% -33.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 13.2% 45.3% -4.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 14.5% -55.2% -158.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 19.1% -4.9% -44.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 12.9% -77.1% -158.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 28.0% -34.2% -46.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -38.1% 16.0% -46.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -37.9% 16.4% -9.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -61.8% 8.8% -66.6%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -51.8% 13.3% -19.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricWEXFOURGPN
Gross margin 59.6% 35.9% 63.9%
EBITDA margin 37.3% 19.5% 36.8%
Operating margin 25.5% 8.1% 12.4%
Pretax margin 17.4% 3.2% 5.5%
Net margin 12.6% 0.9% -9.1%
FCF margin 3.9% 9.1% 8.0%
Operating cash flow margin 9.4% 12.4% 16.2%
Return on equity 26.8% 7.0% -3.5%
Return on assets 2.2% 1.4% -1.3%
Return on invested capital 7.8% 4.9% 2.3%
Return on capital employed 15.3% 5.5% 2.5%
Asset turnover 0.2x 0.5x 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.7x 4.8x -1.9x
Stock comp / revenue 4.3% 1.8% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricWEXFOURGPN
Debt / assets 32.5% 51.9% 37.1%
Debt / equity 4.0x 2.6x 1.0x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.7x 4.5x 4.8x
Debt / FCF 49.4x 10.4x 28.6x
Liabilities / assets 91.9% 80.1% 62.6%
Equity / assets 8.1% 19.9% 37.4%
Interest coverage 3.1x 1.5x 1.5x
Current ratio 1.0x 1.2x 0.8x
Quick ratio 1.0x 1.1x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.2x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 0.82 1.15 0.59

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricWEXFOURGPN
Dividend yield – – 1.2%
Net buyback yield 1.0% 10.7% 7.3%
Shareholder yield 1.0% 10.7% 8.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – -28.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 30.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 1.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – -1.7%

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.

ConsensusWEXFOURGPN
Forward P/E 8.7xFY2026 6.9xFY2026 6.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $21.31FY2026 $5.50FY2026 $12.82FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +32.4%FY2026 +6.4%FY2026 +4.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -6.7% +8.7% +18.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.97BFY2026 $2.44BFY2026 $12.66BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +11.5%FY2026 +23.2%FY2026 +35.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.1% +6.6% +8.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersWEXFOURGPN
Held by institutions 100.0% 87.4% 100.0%
Institutions holding 417 358 792
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.5% -2.3% +7.4%
Institutions buying 189 187 374
Institutions selling 166 142 307
Buyers to sellers 1.14 1.32 1.22

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.

WEXFOURGPN
WEX 1.00 0.42 0.49
FOUR 0.42 1.00 0.58
GPN 0.49 0.58 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, WEX, FOUR and GPN?

Global Payments (GPN) is the largest by market capitalisation: Wex (WEX) $6.51B, Shift4 Payments (FOUR) $2.98B, Global Payments (GPN) $22.26B.

Which stock is cheaper, WEX, FOUR and GPN?

Wex (WEX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Wex (WEX) 18.5x, Shift4 Payments (FOUR) 68.1x, Global Payments (GPN) -23.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Global Payments (GPN) is cheapest (Wex (WEX) 8.7x, Shift4 Payments (FOUR) 6.9x, Global Payments (GPN) 6.4x). 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: Wex (WEX) +7.5%, Shift4 Payments (FOUR) +32.4%, Global Payments (GPN) +32.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Wex (WEX) has the highest net margin (Wex (WEX) 12.6%, Shift4 Payments (FOUR) 0.9%, Global Payments (GPN) -9.1%). On return on invested capital, Wex (WEX) leads (Wex (WEX) 7.8%, Shift4 Payments (FOUR) 4.9%, Global Payments (GPN) 2.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Wex (WEX) returned the most: Wex (WEX) +15.7%, Shift4 Payments (FOUR) -50.8%, Global Payments (GPN) -6.2%. Over five years, Wex (WEX) compounded fastest (Wex (WEX) +3.0%/yr, Shift4 Payments (FOUR) -10.1%/yr, Global Payments (GPN) -10.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Wex (WEX) 0.00%, Shift4 Payments (FOUR) 0.00%, Global Payments (GPN) 0.01%. Wex (WEX) and Shift4 Payments (FOUR) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Global Payments (GPN) has been the steadiest (Wex (WEX) 41.7%, Shift4 Payments (FOUR) 66.2%, Global Payments (GPN) 40.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, WEX, FOUR and GPN?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Wex (WEX) leads on 6. 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.