Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) Downgraded by The Goldman Sachs Group to Hold

The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

FOUR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Shift4 Payments from $115.00 to $101.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. BTIG Research reduced their price objective on Shift4 Payments from $105.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of Shift4 Payments in a report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $67.00 price target on shares of Shift4 Payments in a report on Thursday. Finally, DA Davidson set a $104.00 price target on shares of Shift4 Payments in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Shift4 Payments currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.74.

Shift4 Payments Stock Down 9.0%

Shares of FOUR traded down $4.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $44.05. 6,831,099 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,451,434. Shift4 Payments has a 1-year low of $43.80 and a 1-year high of $108.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The company has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a PE ratio of 41.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.63. The business has a 50 day moving average of $61.10 and a 200 day moving average of $71.74.

Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.04. Shift4 Payments had a net margin of 2.84% and a return on equity of 38.24%. The company had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. Shift4 Payments’s revenue for the quarter was up 50.6% on a year-over-year basis. Shift4 Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.500-5.700 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Shift4 Payments will post 3.7 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Nancy Disman sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total transaction of $347,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 130,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,064,190. This represents a 3.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO David Taylor Lauber sold 12,000 shares of Shift4 Payments stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.00, for a total value of $828,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 273,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,877,572. This represents a 4.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 25.15% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Shift4 Payments

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Shift4 Payments by 66.9% during the third quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 178,318 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,802,000 after purchasing an additional 71,489 shares in the last quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Shift4 Payments by 71.3% in the 3rd quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 584,231 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,219,000 after buying an additional 243,161 shares during the last quarter. Maestria Partners LLC increased its stake in Shift4 Payments by 36.6% during the 3rd quarter. Maestria Partners LLC now owns 372,423 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,826,000 after buying an additional 99,723 shares in the last quarter. South Dakota Investment Council acquired a new position in shares of Shift4 Payments during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,814,000. Finally, Jackson Square Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Shift4 Payments in the third quarter valued at approximately $5,735,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.87% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting 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

Shift4 Payments Company Profile

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.