Mizuho Upgrades Shopify (NASDAQ:SHOP) to “Strong-Buy”

Shopify (NASDAQ:SHOP) (TSE:SHOP) was upgraded by research analysts at Mizuho from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on SHOP. Evercore ISI set a $135.00 target price on Shopify in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird set a $160.00 price target on Shopify in a research report on Thursday. Arete Research set a $175.00 price objective on Shopify in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. BMO Capital Markets set a $160.00 target price on shares of Shopify in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Scotiabank raised shares of Shopify from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $200.00 in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.58.

Shopify Stock Performance

Shares of Shopify stock opened at $110.66 on Thursday. Shopify has a 1 year low of $69.84 and a 1 year high of $182.19. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $151.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $150.74. The firm has a market cap of $144.06 billion, a PE ratio of 118.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 2.83.

Institutional Trading of Shopify

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Shopify by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 21,176 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $2,252,000 after purchasing an additional 584 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Shopify by 107.3% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 14,576 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $1,392,000 after buying an additional 7,544 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Shopify by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 8,190 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $945,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its position in Shopify by 22.8% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 15,840 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $1,827,000 after acquiring an additional 2,939 shares during the period. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Shopify by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 15,114 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $1,743,000 after acquiring an additional 1,215 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.27% of the company’s stock.

Shopify News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Shopify this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company beat revenue expectations with Q4 revenue up ~31%, strong GMV and Merchant Solutions growth, guided Q1 revenue above Street estimates and authorized a $2 billion buyback — supportive for cash generation and long‑term outlook. Shopify press release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: TD Securities raised Shopify from Hold to Buy with a $159 target, adding upward analyst pressure after the print. TD Securities upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed a Buy with a $180 target, highlighting continued bullish institutional views despite recent volatility. Needham note
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentary note Shopify’s AI investments are expanding product monetization and improving cash flow, but the company trades at a premium vs. peers — mixed implication for near‑term multiples. Zacks analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s guidance called for continued high‑single to low‑30% revenue growth in Q1 — above consensus and a positive signal for growth trajectory, but it comes with planned higher operating spend. Reuters: guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS missed estimates (reported ~$0.46–$0.48 vs. ~$0.50 consensus) — investors focused on the earnings miss and margin pressure despite the revenue beat, triggering a post‑earnings selloff. Zacks earnings report
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms trimmed price targets today (UBS to $145 neutral rating; Wedbush/Citizens lowered to ~$160; Truist cut to $110), signaling analyst uncertainty on valuation and near‑term catalysts. Benzinga: analyst moves
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary raises risks around the buyback execution, short‑term volatility and margin mix (Merchant Solutions growth compressing gross margins), which could keep the stock under pressure until clarity on margins and buyback cadence. TipRanks buyback risk

About Shopify

Shopify is a Canadian commerce technology company that provides a cloud-based platform for businesses to create, manage and scale online and physical retail stores. Its core offering is a software-as-a-service e-commerce platform that enables merchants to build customizable storefronts, manage product catalogs, process orders, and handle inventory. Shopify also supports omnichannel selling through integrated point-of-sale (POS) systems for in-person transactions.

Beyond storefront software, Shopify offers a range of merchant services and tools designed to simplify commerce operations.