Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Freedom Capital

Freedom Capital downgraded shares of Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Friday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Shift4 Payments from $102.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 22nd. DA Davidson set a $104.00 price objective on Shift4 Payments in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Shift4 Payments in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Shift4 Payments from $72.00 to $60.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Loop Capital set a $80.00 price target on Shift4 Payments in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $84.74.

Shift4 Payments Stock Down 9.0%

Shares of NYSE FOUR traded down $4.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $44.05. The company had a trading volume of 6,831,099 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,451,434. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.74. Shift4 Payments has a 52-week low of $43.80 and a 52-week high of $108.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The stock has a market cap of $3.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.95, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.63.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Shift4 Payments

In other news, Director Nancy Disman sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total value of $347,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 130,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,064,190. The trade was a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO David Taylor Lauber sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 273,588 shares in the company, valued at $18,877,572. This represents a 4.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 25.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Shift4 Payments

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FOUR. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Shift4 Payments by 410.9% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 281 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Shift4 Payments by 100.0% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Shift4 Payments by 148.1% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 526 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Shift4 Payments during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Vestcor Inc acquired a new stake in Shift4 Payments in the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. 98.87% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Shift4 Payments News

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.