Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) Announces Earnings Results

Key Points

• Shift4 reported quarterly EPS of $1.49, beating the $1.36 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 10% year over year.
• The company updated its FY 2026 EPS guidance to $5.05–$5.15, and authorized a new $1 billion share buyback program.
• Management cited travel disruption, a stronger U.S. dollar, and softer restaurant sales as headwinds to the near-term outlook; several analysts lowered their price targets.

Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.13, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $652.39 million. Shift4 Payments had a return on equity of 28.40% and a net margin of 2.20%. Shift4 Payments's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.47 EPS. Shift4 Payments updated its FY 2026 guidance to 5.050-5.150 EPS.

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

• Shift4 delivered Q3 results in line with guidance, with 10% growth in gross revenue less network fees (9% organic constant-currency), 18% growth in payments-based revenue less network fees, and record adjusted free cash flow of $200 million.
• The company lowered its Q4 outlook, citing travel disruption, a stronger U.S. dollar, softer restaurant sales, and deferred European commercial initiatives. Full-year adjusted EBITDA margin is now expected at 45%–46%, and management’s preliminary 2027 framework is mid- to high-single-digit organic growth.
• International expansion is progressing, with Shift4 One live in 15 countries and Global Blue expected to exit 2026 with nearly $50 million in annualized synergies. Management said travel disruption remains a headwind and pointed to 2027 as the year it expects the new markets to begin generating more sales traction.
• Shift4 returned about $200 million to shareholders through Q3 repurchases and authorized a new $1 billion buyback program starting in 2027. Management said it had repurchased roughly 16% of shares over the past year and expects year-end net leverage of about 3.6x, including the anticipated Paramount Commerce acquisition.

Shift4 Payments Stock Performance

Shares of FOUR stock traded up $1.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $43.88. The stock had a trading volume of 3,625,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,817,075. The stock's 50 day moving average is $40.31 and its 200 day moving average is $46.06. Shift4 Payments has a twelve month low of $34.56 and a twelve month high of $75.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a PE ratio of 9.65, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on FOUR shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Shift4 Payments from $67.00 to $49.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Shift4 Payments from $59.00 to $46.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. B. Riley Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $77.00 target price (down from $94.00) on shares of Shift4 Payments in a research note on Friday. DA Davidson dropped their target price on Shift4 Payments from $74.00 to $68.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Shift4 Payments from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Eleven equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $53.86.

Trending Headlines about Shift4 Payments

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

• Positive Sentiment: Shift4 reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.49, above the roughly $1.36 consensus, while revenue grew 10% year over year. The company also raised its 2026 EPS outlook to $5.05–$5.15, above the cited $4.98 consensus. Earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company authorized a $1 billion share buyback, which could support per-share results and signal confidence in the business. Buyback announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Shift4 outlined mid- to high-single-digit organic growth for 2027 and a fourth-quarter gross revenue less network fees outlook of $625 million–$640 million. Investors will weigh that growth outlook against the company’s longer-term expectations. Growth outlook
• Negative Sentiment: The earnings beat did not prevent a sharp selloff: reports said third-quarter sales missed expectations, raising concern about growth and overshadowing stronger EPS and guidance. Sales and stock reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms cut their price targets on FOUR, including RBC ($67 to $49), Wells Fargo ($59 to $46), Susquehanna ($63 to $56), and B. Riley ($94 to $77). Their ratings remained positive or bullish, but the broad reductions suggest more cautious assumptions about upside. RBC rating

About Shift4 Payments

Shift4 Payments, Inc NYSE: FOUR is a payment technology company that provides integrated commerce solutions for businesses and organizations. Its platform supports payment acceptance across in-person, online and mobile channels, combining payment processing with point-of-sale, commerce management and reporting tools.

The company serves merchants and enterprises in industries including restaurants, hospitality, hotels, sports and entertainment venues, gaming, retail and e-commerce. Its offerings include payment gateways, point-of-sale systems, mobile and contactless payment capabilities, fraud prevention, chargeback management and business analytics.

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