Shift4 Payments Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:FOUR)

Shift4 Payments, Inc. (NYSE:FOUR) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders acquired 6,948 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 120% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,155 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Shift4 Payments from $102.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price target on Shift4 Payments from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Shift4 Payments from $82.00 to $77.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Shift4 Payments from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $90.00 price objective on shares of Shift4 Payments in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Shift4 Payments has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.26.

Shift4 Payments Stock Performance

FOUR traded down $1.74 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $56.57. 430,918 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,066,811. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.55, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.63. Shift4 Payments has a 52-week low of $52.65 and a 52-week high of $108.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $61.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.28.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO David Taylor Lauber sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.00, for a total transaction of $828,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 273,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,877,572. This represents a 4.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Nancy Disman sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total transaction of $347,500.00. Following the sale, the director owned 130,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,064,190. This trade represents a 3.69% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 25.15% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Shift4 Payments

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in Shift4 Payments by 410.9% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 281 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Shift4 Payments by 100.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Shift4 Payments by 148.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 526 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc purchased a new position in shares of Shift4 Payments during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Shift4 Payments by 282.2% in 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 during the period. 98.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.