Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 5.500-5.700 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 5.390. The company issued revenue guidance of -, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $4.6 billion.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on FOUR shares. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Shift4 Payments from $104.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Freedom Capital lowered shares of Shift4 Payments from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Shift4 Payments from $112.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wolfe Research lowered Shift4 Payments from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Shift4 Payments from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Shift4 Payments presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $72.00.

Shift4 Payments Stock Down 9.3%

FOUR stock traded down $4.38 during trading on Friday, reaching $42.47. The stock had a trading volume of 1,757,765 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,285,697. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.66. The company has a market capitalization of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.44. Shift4 Payments has a one year low of $39.90 and a one year high of $108.50. The company’s 50 day moving average is $45.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.68.

Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. Shift4 Payments had a net margin of 2.84% and a return on equity of 39.27%. The business’s revenue was up 49.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.07 earnings per share. Shift4 Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.500-5.700 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Shift4 Payments will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Shift4 Payments

In other news, major shareholder Jared Isaacman acquired 159,244 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $44.15 per share, for a total transaction of $7,030,622.60. Following the purchase, the insider owned 1,321,207 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,331,289.05. The trade was a 13.70% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 385,757 shares of company stock worth $17,666,153. 25.15% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Shift4 Payments

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

• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target on Shift4 Payments to $52 from $50, while maintaining a market perform rating, implying modest upside from current levels. Benzinga report on Keefe, Bruyette & Woods price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research reiterated its buy rating and kept a much higher $70 price target, signaling confidence in Shift4’s longer-term growth prospects. Benzinga report on BTIG reaffirmation
• Positive Sentiment: Shift4 reported revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, topping estimates of $1.09 billion and rising 49% year over year, showing strong sales momentum. MarketBeat earnings report and transcript
• Positive Sentiment: The company also lifted FY 2026 EPS guidance to $5.50-$5.70, above Wall Street’s $5.39 estimate, suggesting management sees continued earnings strength ahead. MarketBeat earnings report and transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also digesting the Q1 earnings call and transcript, which highlighted robust growth but some headwinds, keeping sentiment mixed. Seeking Alpha Q1 2026 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Despite revenue strength, Shift4 missed earnings per share estimates at $0.97 versus $0.99 expected, and EPS declined from $1.07 a year ago, which appears to be pressuring the stock. Zacks report on earnings miss

Institutional Trading of Shift4 Payments

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FOUR. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted 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 acquiring an additional 217 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in Shift4 Payments by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 5,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 860 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Shift4 Payments by 29.6% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 5,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after buying an additional 1,235 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Shift4 Payments in the second quarter worth $249,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in Shift4 Payments by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $527,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.87% of the company’s stock.

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.