Fact based stock research
Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR)

US82452J1097

How to read the free ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Shift4 Payments stock research in summary

shift4.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 55 (better than 55% compared with investment alternatives), Shift4 Payments (Data Processing & Outsourcing, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Shift4 Payments are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 35 (worse than 65% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 36, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 87). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 55, is a buy recommendation based on Shift4 Payments's financial characteristics. As the company Shift4 Payments shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 35 (65% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 87% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 87). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 36 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for Shift4 Payments, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	35
Growth Rank	87
Safety Rank	36
Combined Rank	55

Country	USA
Industry	Data Processing & Outsourcing
Index
Size class	Large

20-Feb-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Shift4 Payments

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	13	14	35	35
GROWTH
GROWTH	65	100	87	87
SAFETY
SAFETY	55	18	36	36
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	15	68	33	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	15	41	36	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 20-Feb-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Shift4 Payments is in the corresponding investment strategy.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.

Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	13	14	35	35
GROWTH
GROWTH	65	100	87	87
SAFETY
SAFETY	55	18	36	36
COMBINED
COMBINED	28	33	55	55

Last update of combined financial performance: 20-Feb-2025. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Shift4 Payments the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 35 (worse than 65% compared with alternatives), Shift4 Payments shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where the majority of metrics are below, and only one is above average for Shift4 Payments. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 62, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than 62% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning to Shift4 Payments's revenue size. But all other performance indicators point in a different direction. Dividend yields have a Dividend Yield rank of 1, meaning that dividends are expected to be lower than for 99% of comparable investments. Furthermore, Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is less favorable than 73% of alternatives (only 27% of peers have an even higher ratio). The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (or Price / Earnings, P/E), which is higher than for 51% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected profit levels. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 35, is a hold recommendation based on Shift4 Payments's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since Price-to-Sales is a stable value indicator even in challenging times, investing in Shift4 Payments could be seen as a value investment. However, there must be a good reason for the low market-to-book rank. If the company has a typical capital investment practice, the stock may be overvalued because the profit and dividend-related performance indicators are also low. The stock is only good value if investors can expect profits and dividends to pick up in the future. Else, Shift4 Payments looks like an expensive investment today. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is especially important in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	71	67	62	62
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	6	34	49	49
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	19	9	27	27
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	13	14	35	35

Last update of Value Rank: 20-Feb-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Shift4 Payments; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 87 (better than 87% compared with alternatives) for 2025, Shift4 Payments shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators above average for Shift4 Payments. Sales Growth has a value of 86, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 86% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth with a value of 55 and for Capital Growth with 67. In addition, Stock Returns had an above-average rank value of 89, which means they have been higher than 89% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 87, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Since all Growth Ranks are positive, Shift4 Payments exhibits above-average growth momentum. This could be due to a uniquely strong market position, proprietary technology, or an extensive corporate acquisition strategy. Growth investors will find this an attractive investment opportunity, unless they expect that the current phase is transitory and will deteriorate in the future. The current performance could also be a temporary recovery from a very low point, such as a turn-around situation. In the case of a turn-around, the current performance may or may not be followed by a continuing positive development. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	90	98	86	86
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	93	96	55	55
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	4	92	67	67
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	27	81	89	89
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	65	100	87	87

Last update of Growth Rank: 20-Feb-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Shift4 Payments.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 36 (better than 36% compared with alternatives), the company Shift4 Payments has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Shift4 Payments is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above-average for Shift4 Payments. Refinancing is at 51, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 51% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 67, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 67% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 11, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 89% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 36 (worse than 64% compared with alternatives), Shift4 Payments has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. This is not bad if things go well. The higher debt level means better returns to shareholders if things go well. Many top-performing companies operate with higher debt levels, and Shift4 Payments could be in that group. But if you expect the environment to turn rougher, the higher leverage could become a problem. The same is valid if you expect interest rates to rise. That could squeeze shareholder returns, which so far have benefitted from better conditions. In the long-term, investors may have a debt challenge with Shift4 Payments and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	30	18	11	11
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	94	54	51	51
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	23	48	67	67
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	55	18	36	36

Last update of Safety Rank: 20-Feb-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Shift4 Payments and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	73	67	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	37	50	46	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	18	60	61	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	26	44	14	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	15	68	33	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 20-Feb-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Shift4 Payments.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.