Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.13 EPS

Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.13, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $652.39 million. Shift4 Payments had a net margin of 2.20% and a return on equity of 28.40%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.47 earnings per share. 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 Trading Up 2.6%

NYSE:FOUR traded up $1.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $43.88. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,625,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,817,075. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Shift4 Payments has a twelve month low of $34.56 and a twelve month high of $75.35. The stock has a market cap of $3.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.50.

Key Shift4 Payments News

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho reduced their target price on Shift4 Payments from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Weiss Ratings lowered Shift4 Payments from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Shift4 Payments from $60.00 to $52.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 7th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price target (down from $94.00) on shares of Shift4 Payments in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Shift4 Payments in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Shift4 Payments presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.86.

Shift4 Payments Company Profile

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.