Is FOUR a good stock to buy? We came across a bullish thesis on Shift4 Payments, Inc. on Valueinvestorsclub.com by woop. In this article, we will summarize the bulls’ thesis on FOUR. Shift4 Payments, Inc.'s share was trading at $43.91 as of March 12th. FOUR’s trailing and forward P/E were 40.66 and 7.44, respectively according to Yahoo Finance.

Shift4 Payments (FOUR) has emerged as an attractive opportunity within the broader payments sector following a sharp selloff across the industry, leaving many payment processors trading at depressed valuations. The company stands out as a founder-built and operationally disciplined payments platform trading at roughly 7.6x 2026 EV/EBITDA, which the bullish thesis argues fails to reflect the durability of its business model and long-term compounding potential.

Shift4’s strategy centers on acquiring software and point-of-sale (POS) providers in complex verticals such as restaurants, hotels, and stadiums, then monetizing the underlying payment volume rather than the software itself. After acquisitions, the company typically streamlines legacy technology while subsidizing hardware to accelerate merchant adoption and lock in long-term processing revenue. This model has allowed Shift4 to maintain industry-leading customer acquisition costs and strong merchant retention while generating substantial free cash flow.

The company’s leadership and corporate DNA further support the bullish outlook. Founder and executive chairman Jared Isaacman built the company from a small payments startup into a vertically integrated merchant acquirer, focusing relentlessly on payment volume rather than software or hardware economics.

Today, CEO Taylor Lauber continues to execute this strategy, with the company emphasizing disciplined M&A to rapidly acquire merchant bases and then cross-sell payment processing. Shift4’s presence in complex commerce environments—such as hospitality, restaurants, and sports venues—creates high switching costs because its technology integrates deeply with operational systems like property management platforms and stadium retail networks.

Recent initiatives reinforce the long-term growth thesis. The acquisition of Global Blue expands the company’s reach into international retail and VAT refund markets while creating cross-selling opportunities with merchants.

Meanwhile, strong free cash flow generation has enabled a $1 billion share repurchase authorization, signaling management’s confidence in the stock’s undervaluation. With continued M&A execution, international expansion opportunities—particularly in Europe—and a proven ability to convert acquired merchants onto its processing platform, the thesis argues that Shift4 is positioned to compound intrinsic value despite near-term skepticism surrounding the payments industry.

Previously, we covered a bullish thesis on Shift4 Payments (FOUR) by Next 100 Baggers in May 2025, which highlighted strong payment volume growth, margin expansion, and an M&A-driven strategy integrating vertical software with payments. FOUR’s stock price has depreciated by approximately 47.26% since our coverage. woop shares a similar view but emphasizes on the company’s founder-led acquisition playbook and long-term value creation through payment volume monetization.

Shift4 Payments, Inc. is not on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 49 hedge fund portfolios held FOUR at the end of the fourth quarter which was 45 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of FOUR as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than FOUR and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None.