Corpay (NYSE:CPAY) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.30 EPS
by Scott Moore · The Cerbat GemCorpay (NYSE:CPAY – Get Free Report) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $5.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.50 by $0.30, Briefing.com reports. Corpay had a net margin of 23.62% and a return on equity of 37.13%. The business had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.51 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Corpay updated its FY 2026 guidance to 26.300-27.100 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance to 6.450-6.650 EPS.
Here are the key takeaways from Corpay’s conference call:
- Corpay delivered a “blowout” Q1 with $1.26B revenue (+25%) and $5.80 cash EPS (+29%), and raised full‑year 2026 guidance to a midpoint of $5.29B revenue and $26.70 cash EPS (implying ~17% revenue and 25% EPS growth).
- Durable growth is driven by corporate payments and cross‑border — 11% organic revenue growth (fourth straight quarter), corporate payments +16% (18% ex‑float), strong cross‑border sales and Alpha integration (≈15% of Alpha clients migrated) plus new JPM/BVNK blockchain rails.
- Management is accelerating a portfolio rotation toward fewer, larger corporate‑payments businesses, completing the PayByPhone divestiture (netting a $75M reduction to rest‑of‑year revenue) and preparing additional non‑core sales while evaluating targeted corporate payments acquisitions.
- Capital allocation is shareholder‑friendly — the company repurchased $786M (2.4M shares) in Q1, has expanded buyback authorization and is refinancing/up‑sizing its facility to lower interest costs and extend maturities, freeing capacity for more buybacks or M&A.
- Operating costs (ex FX/M&A/stock comp) rose ~10% due to higher transaction volumes and increased bad debt, adjusted EBITDA margin ticked down and leverage is ~2.7x, which could pressure margins or financial flexibility if trends reverse.
Corpay Price Performance
Shares of CPAY traded up $38.23 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $343.98. The stock had a trading volume of 942,643 shares, compared to its average volume of 638,203. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $310.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $308.04. The company has a market capitalization of $23.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.87, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.81. Corpay has a 52 week low of $252.84 and a 52 week high of $361.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98.
More Corpay News
Here are the key news stories impacting Corpay this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Corpay beat Q1 estimates, reporting EPS of $5.80 versus $5.50 expected and revenue of $1.26 billion versus $1.21 billion expected, helped by strong corporate payments performance. Corpay Reports First Quarter Financial Results
- Positive Sentiment: Corporate Payments revenue jumped 46% year over year and organic revenue rose 11%, signaling healthy underlying demand and execution. CPAY Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates on Corporate Payments Strength
- Positive Sentiment: Management raised 2026 guidance, with full-year EPS now expected at $26.30-$27.10 and Q2 EPS at $6.45-$6.65, both above Wall Street estimates. Corpay Reports First Quarter Financial Results
- Neutral Sentiment: Several follow-up articles and the earnings call transcript focused on the same Q1 beat and guidance raise, reinforcing the positive earnings narrative rather than adding new catalysts. Corpay, Inc. (CPAY) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
- Negative Sentiment: No major negative catalyst was highlighted in the provided articles; investor attention appears centered on the stronger-than-expected results and improved outlook.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Corpay from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Corpay from $379.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $361.00 price objective on shares of Corpay in a report on Thursday, March 5th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Corpay from $315.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Corpay from $440.00 to $380.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $374.75.
Insider Buying and Selling at Corpay
In related news, CAO Alissa B. Vickery sold 1,701 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.65, for a total transaction of $610,063.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $781,857. This represents a 43.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.19% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Corpay
A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BOKF NA raised its holdings in shares of Corpay by 4,700.0% during the third quarter. BOKF NA now owns 96 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Corpay during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA raised its holdings in shares of Corpay by 78.6% during the fourth quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Corpay during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of Corpay during the 2nd quarter worth about $68,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.84% of the company’s stock.
About Corpay
Corpay (NYSE:CPAY) is a global payments and fintech company that provides businesses with tools to manage, move and optimize corporate spend. The company focuses on commercial payments, foreign exchange and cross-border transactions, aiming to simplify treasury operations and reduce friction in business-to-business payments through technology-driven solutions.
Its product offering includes payment processing and accounts payable automation, corporate and virtual card programs, expense management tools, and foreign-exchange hedging and execution services for international payments.