Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.02 EPS

Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.02), FiscalAI reports. Shift4 Payments had a return on equity of 39.27% and a net margin of 2.84%.The company had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.07 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 49.0% on a year-over-year basis. Shift4 Payments updated its FY 2026 guidance to 5.500-5.700 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Shift4 Payments’ conference call:

• Q1 results were in line with guidance — GRLNF of $549M (+49% YoY), Adjusted EBITDA $234M (+39%, 43% margin), and Adjusted free cash flow $88M (+26%); full‑year guidance unchanged (26%–31% GRLNF growth).
• International expansion is scaling — the new Shift41 product is live in 7 countries and on track for 15 by year‑end, Global Blue integration is on track, and the company has a pipeline of ~70,000 SMB prospects plus newly signed luxury retailers.
• Payments momentum remains strong — payments‑based revenue less network fees grew 25% YoY (Americas +15%, worldwide +51%), and organic GRLNF (ex‑acquisitions) rose 11% despite ~400 bps drag from deprecated legacy streams.
• Travel disruptions from the Middle East conflict weighed on tax‑free shopping (TFS), with an estimated $4M–$6M headwind in March and roughly $20M embedded in Q2 guidance; TFS is also seasonally cash‑consumptive in H1.
• Capital allocation and leverage focus — repurchased 5.5M shares in Q1 (about $600M of the $1B program), term‑loan repricing left pro forma net leverage at ~3.7x, and management intends to keep leverage ≤3.75x while deleveraging through the year.

Shift4 Payments Price Performance

FOUR traded down $4.38 on Friday, hitting $42.47. 1,757,765 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,285,697. Shift4 Payments has a 12 month low of $39.90 and a 12 month high of $108.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $45.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.45, a PEG ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.44.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on FOUR. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Shift4 Payments in a report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Shift4 Payments from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James Financial downgraded Shift4 Payments from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $67.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Freedom Capital cut Shift4 Payments from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Shift4 Payments from $77.00 to $55.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $72.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Jared Isaacman bought 159,244 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $44.15 per share, for a total transaction of $7,030,622.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 1,321,207 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,331,289.05. This represents a 13.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 385,757 shares of company stock valued at $17,666,153. 25.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Shift4 Payments by 100.0% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 434 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Shift4 Payments in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Vestcor Inc acquired a new position in shares of Shift4 Payments during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Shift4 Payments by 282.2% during the 3rd quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 646 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of Shift4 Payments by 747.4% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 822 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 725 shares during the last quarter. 98.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Shift4 Payments News Roundup

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

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.