Shift4 Payments Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:FOUR)

Shift4 Payments, Inc. (NYSE:FOUR) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 6,182 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 60% compared to the typical volume of 3,860 call options.

Shift4 Payments Stock Performance

Shares of FOUR traded up $1.51 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $50.71. 448,272 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,113,988. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. Shift4 Payments has a 52 week low of $34.56 and a 52 week high of $108.50. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.89. The firm has a market cap of $4.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.40.

Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) last issued its quarterly 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 company 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 2.63% and a return on equity of 33.55%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 49.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.07 earnings per share. Shift4 Payments has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.500-5.700 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Shift4 Payments will post 4.77 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Jared Isaacman acquired 193,000 shares of Shift4 Payments stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $40.66 per share, for a total transaction of $7,847,380.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 1,787,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $72,677,920.30. The trade was a 12.10% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Shift4 Payments

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Shift4 Payments during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Vestcor Inc bought a new position in Shift4 Payments in the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Summer Road LLC acquired a new position in shares of Shift4 Payments in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 477 shares during the period. 98.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on FOUR. Stephens cut Shift4 Payments from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $50.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, April 17th. Loop Capital started coverage on Shift4 Payments in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore set a $45.00 price objective on Shift4 Payments in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Capital One Financial set a $50.00 target price on Shift4 Payments in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Shift4 Payments in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $68.29.

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.