Focused on building reliable datasets, financial models, and research tools for value-minded investors. Committed to turning complex data into practical guidance for value-investing and long-term wealth.
Dr. Charlie Tian is the founder and CEO of GuruFocus.com, a leading global investment research platform established in 2004. With a Ph.D. in physics, Dr. Tian transitioned from science to finance, applying a data-driven, disciplined approach to value investing.
Shift4 PaymentsFOURPA.PFD +7.11%75 Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % is 23.83% as of Jun. 2026, which is 19% above its 10-year median of 20.00. GuruFocus rates FOURPA.PFD with a GF Score™ of 75/100. The stock has 7 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,367 Software companies, Shift4 Payments ranks better than 87.34% on this metric.
Yacktman defines forward rate of return as the normalized free cash flow yield plus real growth plus inflation. Shift4 Payments's forward rate of return for was 23.83%.
The historical rank and industry rank for Shift4 Payments's Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % or its related term are showing as below:
FOURpA.PFD'
s Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 20 Med: 20 Max: 24.52
Current: 23.88
During the past 8 years, Shift4 Payments's highest Forward Rate of Return was 24.52. The lowest was 20.00. And the median was 20.00.
FOURpA.PFD's Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % is ranked better than 87.34% of 1367
companies
in the Software industry
Industry Median: 13.15
vs FOURpA.PFD: 23.88
Unlike the Earnings Yield %, the Forward Rate of Return uses the normalized Free Cash Flow of the past five years, and considers growth. The forward rate of return can be thought of as the return that investors buying the stock today can expect from it in the future.
Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOURpA.PFD) Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % Explanation
Unlike the Earnings Yield, the Forward Rate of Return uses the normalized Free Cash Flow of the past five years, and considers growth. The forward rate of return can be thought of as the return that investors buying the stock today can expect from it in the future.
For the growth part of the Forward Rate of Return calculation, GuruFocus uses the 5-year average growth rate of EBITDA per share as the growth rate, and the growth rate is always capped at 20%. For the Free Cash Flow we use per share data averaged over five years. The reason we use five years is to make it comparable to the growth rate.
Be Aware
In the Forward Rate of Return calculation, the growth rate is added directly to today's free cash flow yield. Therefore the calculation is reliable only if the company can grow at the same rate in the future as it did in the past. Investors should pay close attention to this when researching growth stocks. A more accurate measurement for return is Return on Capital.
Shift4 Payments Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % Related Terms
Shift4 Payments Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Shift4 Payments's Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Shift4 Payments Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % Chart
FOURPA.PFD vs BOX, BLSH, PAY: Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % Comparison
For the Software - Infrastructure subindustry, Shift4 Payments's Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) %, along with its competitors' market caps and Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Shift4 Payments Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % vs Software Industry
For the Software industry and Technology sector, Shift4 Payments's Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Shift4 Payments's Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % falls into.
Shift4 Payments Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % Calculation
Forward Rate of Return is a concept that Don Yacktman uses in his investment approach. Yacktman explained the forward rate of return concept in detail in his interview with GuruFocus. Yacktman defines forward rate of return as the normalized free cash flow yield plus real growth plus inflation. He said in the interview (March 2012, when the S&P 500 was at about 1400):
If the business is stable, this calculation is fairly straightforward. For instance, on the S&P 500 we would normalize earnings. We would then calculate what percentage of those earnings are not reinvested in the underlying businesses and are therefore free. Historically, for the S&P 500, this has been just under 50% of earnings. Currently, we expect the S&P to earn about 70 on a normalized basis, a number which is far below reported earnings due to our adjusting for record high profit margins. $70 X ½ / 1400 gives you a normalized free cash flow yield of approximately 2.5%.
The historical real growth rate of the S&P 500 (companies) is about 1.5%. Assuming an inflation rate of 2.5%, the forward rate of return on an investment in the S&P 500 is about 6.5% today (2.5% free cash flow yield plus 1.5% real growth plus 2.5% inflation).
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
What does a Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % of 23.83% mean?
Shift4 Payments (FOURPA.PFD) has a Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % of 23.83% as of Jun. 2026. Yacktman's forward rate of return equals the sum of normalized free-cash-flow yield plus earnings growth. View historical data on Shift4 Payments and its competitors. This is 19% above median its historical median of 20.00. Over the past decade, Shift4 Payments' Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % has ranged from 20.00 to 24.52. According to the industry distribution chart, Shift4 Payments ranks #173 out of 1367 companies in the Software industry, placing it in the top 12.7%.
Is Shift4 Payments' Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % too high?
Shift4 Payments' current Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % of 23.83% is 19% above median its 10-year median of 20.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 20.00 to a high of 24.52. The Software industry median Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % is 13.15. Shift4 Payments' value of 23.83% is 81.2% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Shift4 Payments ranks #173 out of 1367 companies in the Software industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Shift4 Payments has a GF Score™ of 75/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Shift4 Payments' Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % compare to BOX and BLSH?
According to the Software industry distribution chart, Shift4 Payments ranks #173 out of 1367 companies for Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) %. This places Shift4 Payments in the top 13% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % is 13.15. Shift4 Payments' value of 23.83% is 81.2% above this benchmark. Historically, Shift4 Payments' own Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % has ranged from 20.00 to 24.52 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 20.00 vs. the industry median of 13.15, Shift4 Payments has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % for a Software company?
The median Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % among Software companies is 13.15, based on 1,367 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Shift4 Payments's current Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % of 23.83% is 81.2% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % mean?
A high Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Yacktman's forward rate of return equals the sum of normalized free-cash-flow yield plus earnings growth. View historical data on Shift4 Payments and its competitors. For the Software industry, the median Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % is 13.15 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Shift4 Payments's current Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % is 23.83%, which is 19% above median its own 10-year median of 20.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Shift4 Payments stock overvalued right now?
Shift4 Payments (FOURPA.PFD) has a current Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % of 23.83%. The current Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % is 23.83%, which is 19% above median its 10-year median of 20.00 and 81.2% above the Software industry median of 13.15. Shift4 Payments' overall GF Score™ is 75/100 with 7 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % calculated?
Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Shift4 Payments (FOURPA.PFD), the current Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % is 23.83% as of Jun. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Shift4 Payments Inc is an independent provider of software and payment processing solutions in the U.S., expanding internationally. Its payments platform offers integrated products and services across in-store, online, mobile and tablet-based channels, including end-to-end payment processing, merchant acquiring services, a proprietary omni-channel gateway, eCommerce capabilities, and reporting tools. The company distributes its services through internal sales teams and partners, including independent software vendors (ISVs) and value-added resellers (VARs). Revenue is predominantly recurring, derived mainly from processing fees and subscription revenue from POS software, business intelligence tools and other technology solutions. The company derives maximum revenue from the United States.
75GF Score
Get the complete analysis for FOURPA.PFD
Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
Quick Browse
Personalize
Premium Gurus 
Create New Portfolio
FOURPA.PFD has been successfully added to your 
