The takeaway
Global Payments Inc shows a pronounced seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in July (+3.9%) and softest in September (−4.2%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 90% of years, averaging +3.9%, about +1.7 pts better than the S&P 500.
The full picture
Global Payments Inc's most dependable month has been July, higher in 9 of 10 years; September has been its least reliable, up just 10% of the time.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win rate % | ||||||||||||
| Median return % | ||||||||||||
| 2025 | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | ||||||||||||
| 2023 | ||||||||||||
| 2022 | ||||||||||||
| 2021 | ||||||||||||
| 2020 | ||||||||||||
| 2019 | ||||||||||||
| 2018 | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | ||||||||||||
| 2016 |
Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in January (+4.2 pts); it has trailed the market most in October (−4.4 pts).
“vs S&P” is Global Payments Inc’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Global Payments Inc’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, July has closed higher 80% of the time versus 90% across the last 10 years — the pattern is strengthening.
Figures are the typical (median) July return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Strip the year back and a single month does the heavy lifting: July, up in 9 of 10 Julys while the other eleven tend to blur together.
Its average (+3.9%) and median (+3.9%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. It is also the calendar's calmest month, its returns swinging least from year to year (a 3.6% spread), and even its worst July in 10 years lost only 2.5% — the gentlest downside anywhere on its calendar. Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: July has cleared the S&P 500 by +1.7 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages July only about 61% of the time.
A few other months pull their weight: January, March, and April have also closed higher more often than not. The weaker half of the year is plainer: September has been the soft spot — the weakest of 4 months that average a loss (−4.2%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in October, September, and March. Its roughest month on record was a −24.9% March in 2020 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
A long streak recently broke — July had risen 9 years straight before a −2.5% reading in 2025. If anything it has sharpened recently — the last five Julys run ahead of the earlier years.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: July aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (July), its worst (September), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a pronounced degree. Since 2016 its best month (July, +3.9%) has run well ahead of its worst (September, −4.2%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
July has been the strongest, averaging +3.9% and closing higher in 9 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −4.2% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade