Investors Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR)

Shift4 Payments, Inc. (NYSE:FOUR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors acquired 6,049 put options on the company. This is an increase of 199% compared to the typical volume of 2,020 put options.

Shift4 Payments Stock Performance

Shares of FOUR traded down $1.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $103.78. 894,370 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,472,078. Shift4 Payments has a 12 month low of $55.87 and a 12 month high of $116.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.70. The business's 50-day moving average price is $101.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $86.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.97 and a current ratio of 2.98.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider David Taylor Lauber sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.71, for a total transaction of $568,550.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 210,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,884,216.95. The trade was a 2.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider James J. Whalen sold 1,462 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.07, for a total transaction of $147,764.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 37,089 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,748,585.23. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 11,462 shares of company stock valued at $1,211,364. Company insiders own 30.57% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Shift4 Payments

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Shift4 Payments in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Shift4 Payments in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp bought a new position in Shift4 Payments during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Shift4 Payments during the 3rd quarter valued at $56,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Shift4 Payments in the 2nd quarter worth $60,000. Institutional investors own 98.87% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on FOUR shares. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Shift4 Payments from $93.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Benchmark downgraded shares of Shift4 Payments from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Shift4 Payments in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Shift4 Payments in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Shift4 Payments from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.40.

About Shift4 Payments

Shift4 Payments, Inc (NYSE FOUR) provides integrated payment processing and technology solutions in the United States. Its payments platform provides omni-channel card acceptance and processing solutions, including end-to-end payment processing for various payment types; merchant acquiring; proprietary omni-channel gateway; complementary software integrations; integrated and mobile point-of-sale (POS) solutions; security and risk management solutions; and reporting and analytical tools, as well as tokenization, risk management/underwriting, payment device and chargeback management, fraud prevention, and gift card solutions.