Global Payments Offloads Heartland Payroll to Acrisure for $1.1 Billion in Strategic Refocus

June 1, 2025 – Business Access TV (BATV)

Global Payments Inc., the Atlanta-based payment technology giant, announced on Wednesday a definitive agreement to sell its payroll division, Heartland Payroll Solutions, to fintech and insurance firm Acrisure in a deal valued at $1.1 billion. The move reflects Global Payments’ ongoing strategy to streamline operations and prioritize its core merchant payments business.

The transaction marks the latest in a series of divestitures by Global Payments, which has been steadily shedding non-core assets in a bid to enhance operational focus and improve long-term shareholder value. Heartland Payroll, established in 1997 and currently serving over 50,000 clients—including major brands such as Burger King and Marathon Petroleum—generates between $250 million and $300 million in annual revenue.

“This transaction further sharpens our strategic focus and allows us to amplify investment in the markets and solutions where we are most differentiated,” stated Cameron Bready, CEO of Global Payments.

The sale of Heartland Payroll is in line with Global Payments’ broader objective of divesting between $500 million and $600 million in non-core revenue-generating businesses by 2026, a target announced during the company’s investor day last year. Analysts from TD Cowen believe the company is now well-positioned to meet that goal, following previous high-profile divestitures, including the $1.13 billion sale of its medical software business, AdvancedMD, to Francisco Partners earlier in 2024 and last month’s $13.5 billion three-way transaction with FIS to offload its card processing and account services units.

The proceeds from the Heartland sale will be used to return capital to shareholders, according to company executives. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2025, pending customary regulatory approvals.

For Acrisure, based in Michigan and traditionally known for its insurance brokerage services, the acquisition of Heartland represents a major push into the payroll and broader fintech space. The deal aligns with Acrisure’s ambition to expand its technology-driven financial services offerings.

Despite a 32% decline in Global Payments’ share price year-to-date, analysts remain cautiously optimistic. “There is still a lot left to 2025, but we do see growing potential that a bull case eventually can emerge for Global Payments in 2026 based on where the stock’s currently trading and the moves in recent months,” said Jeff Cantwell, analyst at Seaport Research Partners.

As the company trims down to focus on its strengths in merchant acquiring and payments processing, industry watchers suggest Global Payments is positioning itself more competitively to weather ongoing disruption in the global payments landscape.

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