Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) Upgraded by Raymond James Financial to Strong-Buy Rating

Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) was upgraded by research analysts at Raymond James Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

FOUR has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Shift4 Payments in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BTIG Research dropped their target price on shares of Shift4 Payments from $105.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. DA Davidson set a $104.00 price target on shares of Shift4 Payments in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Shift4 Payments in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $80.00 price objective on Shift4 Payments in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Shift4 Payments presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.74.

Shift4 Payments Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FOUR opened at $44.05 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $61.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.74. Shift4 Payments has a 12 month low of $43.80 and a 12 month high of $108.50.

Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. Shift4 Payments had a return on equity of 38.24% and a net margin of 2.84%.Shift4 Payments’s revenue was up 50.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.35 earnings per share. Shift4 Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.500-5.700 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Shift4 Payments will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO David Taylor Lauber sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.00, for a total transaction of $828,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 273,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,877,572. This trade represents a 4.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Nancy Disman sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total value of $347,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 130,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,064,190. This trade represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 25.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Shift4 Payments

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Shift4 Payments by 410.9% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 281 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Shift4 Payments by 100.0% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Shift4 Payments by 148.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 526 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Shift4 Payments during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Vestcor Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Shift4 Payments in the third quarter worth approximately $45,000. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Shift4 Payments

Here are the key news stories impacting Shift4 Payments this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat consensus — Shift4 reported $1.60 EPS vs. ~$1.56 expected, demonstrating underlying earnings strength. MarketBeat Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue rose year‑over‑year (~+50.6% to $610M), indicating continued top‑line expansion despite other issues. Yahoo: Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings call transcript is available for detail on management’s commentary and segmentation of results; useful for investors digging into drivers. Seeking Alpha Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarter snapshot and analyst commentary pieces summarize key metrics (ROE, margins, segment notes) if you want a quick read. WTOP Earnings Snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance disappointed — management set EPS of $5.50–$5.70 (roughly flat to slightly below consensus) and revenue guidance of $2.5–$2.6B, materially below the ~$3.9B street expectation; this guidance shortfall is the primary negative catalyst. Seeking Alpha: Guidance Miss / 52‑Week Low
• Negative Sentiment: Reports show profits plunged (~65% in the headline coverage) and the stock hit multi‑year/52‑week lows, signaling investor concern on margins and near‑term profitability. Yahoo: Profits Plunge
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts quickly cut targets—Wells Fargo lowered its target to $55 (equal weight) and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed to $60 (market perform)—which can reinforce selling pressure. Benzinga: Wells Fargo Cut Benzinga: KBW Cut

About Shift4 Payments

Shift4 Payments is a U.S.-based provider of integrated payment processing and technology solutions, serving merchants across the hospitality, retail, e-commerce, gaming and lodging industries. The company’s platform enables businesses to accept in-store, online and mobile payments through a combination of point-of-sale hardware, payment gateway services and back-office software. By centralizing transaction processing and reporting, Shift4 aims to simplify payments, enhance security and streamline operations for its merchant customers.

The company’s core offerings include encrypted point-of-sale terminals, cloud-based payment gateways, and developer-friendly APIs for online and mobile checkouts.