Latest news with #Isaacman
Politico
an hour ago
- Business
- Politico
White House plans to pull nomination for NASA administrator
The White House is planning to withdraw the nomination of Jared Isaacman to be the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a White House official confirmed to POLITICO. The sudden move comes days before the Senate was slated to vote on his nomination to lead NASA. Isaacman, a commercial astronaut and billionaire CEO of the payment processing company Shift4, has a long-standing relationship with Elon Musk, who this week left his post as a senior adviser to President Donald Trump and chief of the Department of Government Efficiency. It's not yet clear what the White House's reasoning is for the personnel change. Semafor was first to report on the plan. The White House official was granted anonymity to discuss not-yet-announced personnel moves. Senate Democrats for months have been critical of Isaacman's relationship with Musk, in light of his close ties to the White House and his role as CEO of SpaceX, one of NASA's largest contractors. In March, The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk personally asked Isaacman to lead the agency, which Democrats honed in on during his confirmation hearing last month.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shift4 Payments, Inc. (FOUR): A Bull Case Theory
We came across a bullish thesis on Shift4 Payments, Inc. (FOUR) on Substack by Next 100 Baggers. In this article, we will summarize the bulls' thesis on FOUR. Shift4 Payments, Inc. (FOUR)'s share was trading at $83.26 as of May 7th. FOUR's trailing and forward P/E were 28.51 and 14.51 respectively according to Yahoo Finance. A businesswoman using a digital tablet, making a payment using the company's payment processing technology. Shift4 (FOUR) is quietly emerging as a fintech powerhouse, demonstrating exceptional operational execution despite headline distractions. The company just posted a strong first quarter, with payment volumes surging 35% year-over-year to $45 billion and revenue excluding network fees rising 40% to $369 million. EBITDA came in at $169 million, up 38%, with impressive 46% margins. Free cash flow was solid at $70.5 million, reflecting a healthy 42% conversion. The stock reacted positively, jumping 12% after earnings—a notable rebound following a period of underperformance driven by macro concerns such as tariffs, recession fears, and uncertainty surrounding founder Jared Isaacman's transition out of the CEO role. Isaacman, while stepping down as CEO to potentially take on a NASA mission, is far from exiting the company. He will remain Chairman and retain a 25% stake in the company's Class A shares. More significantly, he is converting his super-voting Class B and C shares into Class A, thereby relinquishing control and aligning his voting power with other shareholders. This move enhances corporate governance and eliminates a longstanding overhang for institutional investors. Taylor Lauber, who was already overseeing operations, will step in as CEO, ensuring strategic continuity. The core execution team remains intact, and the operating strategy continues unabated. Shift4's business model is clearly gaining momentum. The company acquires vertical software companies with established merchant bases and integrates them with its own payment solutions, driving synergies through bundling and cross-selling. This strategy is delivering tangible results. Revel now has over 7,000 locations live on Shift4's payments stack. Givex's loyalty and gift card technology is now embedded into SkyTab, Shift4's POS solution, and has already produced about 100 cross-sells. Eigen gateway customers are also transitioning to full-stack Shift4 payments. These efforts have already delivered $20 million in EBITDA synergies in Q1 alone, illustrating the power of its tightly integrated M&A flywheel. Internationally, Shift4's global expansion is rapidly scaling. Just two years ago, it operated on a single continent. Now it's active across six. In Europe, more than 1,000 restaurants are going live every month. In Latin America, the company is onboarding new enterprise customers, supported by acquisitions like Vectron and Givex that bring local distribution and software capabilities. The recently announced Global Blue deal adds a significant growth lever, unlocking access to over $500 billion in luxury retail flow and positioning Shift4 to benefit from tax-free shopping and dynamic currency conversion. That transaction alone is expected to generate $80 million in revenue synergies by 2027. Importantly, strategic partners like Ant Financial and Tencent will remain on the cap table following the deal's expected close in Q3, signaling continued global alignment. On the capital allocation front, Shift4 remains disciplined. The company repurchased $63 million in stock in Q1, demonstrating confidence in its valuation. Debt related to acquisitions is manageable, covered by a combination of growing EBITDA and free cash flow, and the company maintains a robust cash position of $1.1 billion. This financial flexibility supports continued M&A and shareholder returns without overextending the balance sheet. Compared to peers, Shift4 remains underappreciated. Toast has turned profitable but operates on razor-thin margins. Adyen offers premium infrastructure but trades at a full valuation. Shift4 sits comfortably in between—profitable, scaling quickly, and still mispriced by the market. The company has raised its full-year guidance, now projecting $1.66–1.73 billion in revenue excluding network fees and $840–865 million in adjusted EBITDA, while maintaining a volume outlook of $200–220 billion. With operating leverage becoming more visible, a clean leadership transition, successful global expansion, and M&A synergies translating into real margin growth, Shift4 presents a compelling opportunity. Its fundamentals are outpacing sentiment, offering investors an attractive entry point before the market fully prices in its growth trajectory. Shift4 Payments, Inc. (FOUR) is not on our list of the 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 38 hedge fund portfolios held FOUR at the end of the fourth quarter which was 27 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 timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than FOUR but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock. Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - As NASA admin, Jared Isaacman should commit to building a lunar base
Jared Isaacman will have quite a lot on his plate in his role of running America's space agency once he is fully confirmed. On the top of the list is what to do about sending humans both to the moon and to Mars, which Isaacman proposes to do simultaneously. 'As the president stated we will prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars,' Isaacman said during his confirmation hearings. 'Along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the Moon and determine the scientific, economic, and national security benefits of maintaining a presence on the lunar surface.' The plan is to conduct the Artemis II lunar circumnavigation mission and the Artemis III moon landing with hardware that already exists — that is, the Orion space capsule and the uber-expensive Space Launch System. Artemis III will also include a Human Landing System based on the SpaceX Starship. The strategy is laid out in the White House budget proposal, which states, vaguely, that after Artemis III the current lunar architecture will be replaced 'with more cost-effective commercial systems that would support more ambitious subsequent lunar missions.' The usual Washington method of determining something like the benefits of 'maintaining a presence on the lunar surface' is to form a committee of experts to deliberate then issue a report. One example would be the Second Augustine Commission that concluded that the Bush 43-era Constellation program to return to the moon and on to Mars was unaffordable. A better way to determine the benefits of a presence on the lunar surface is to establish a presence on the lunar surface — a lunar base. There is nothing like trying something to figure out its value. The value of a lunar base can be divided into science, economic development, and soft political power. Twenty years ago, Dr. Paul Spudis offered the scientific case for returning to the moon. 'The moon is a scientific laboratory of extraordinary facility, richness and benefit,' he wrote. 'The history of our corner of the solar system for the past 4 billion years is preserved and readable in the ancient dust of the lunar surface.' Because the moon lacks an atmosphere and a dynamic surface, billions of years of impacts and the ever-changing effects of the sun are recorded in its soil. Also, the far side of the moon, shielded from the electromagnetic noise of the Earth, is the perfect site for a space-based radio telescope. 'That allows observation of the sky at radio wavelengths never before seen,' Spudis noted. As far as economic development goes, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory points to important lunar resources — water, helium 3, and rare earths. In addition, the moon contains industrial resources such as titanium, iron, silicon, and aluminum. A lunar base would a the venue for companies to develop the technologies needed to mine and refine these resources. It may not make sense to transport them all the way to Earth, but Isaacman himself has said that 'We will ignite a thriving space economy in low Earth orbit.' The moon and its resources would be an integral part of that economy. The final reason that Isaacman should commit to a lunar base concerns its usefulness for enhancing soft political power. China, the main enemy of the United States and its allies, has its own lunar ambitions. It intends to build a moon base at the lunar south pole by 2035. The U.S. cannot afford a situation where China has a base on the moon and it does not. If America wants to maintain its standing in the world, it must establish its own lunar base. As with the International Space Station, the lunar base should be built and operated with American allies. Japan, India, Canada, the countries of the European Union, among others, would compete for the honor of contributing to the lunar base and to have their astronauts serve tours on it. America's influence on the world stage would be enhanced by opening the road to the moon. A program to send humans to Mars, in alignment with Elon Musk's dream of founding a settlement on the Red Planet, is certainly a beautiful vision. But the moon is of more immediate importance and should not be neglected. With a crewed mission to Mars likely to happen in the 2030s, the moon can be a triumphant climax to the second Trump presidency by the end of the 2020s. Mark Whittington, who writes frequently about space policy, has published a political study of space exploration entitled Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? as well as The Moon, Mars and Beyond, and, most recently, Why is America Going Back to the Moon? Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
As NASA admin, Jared Isaacman should commit to building a lunar base
Jared Isaacman will have quite a lot on his plate in his role of running America's space agency once he is fully confirmed. On the top of the list is what to do about sending humans both to the moon and to Mars, which Isaacman proposes to do simultaneously. 'As the president stated we will prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars,' Isaacman said during his confirmation hearings. 'Along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the Moon and determine the scientific, economic, and national security benefits of maintaining a presence on the lunar surface.' The plan is to conduct the Artemis II lunar circumnavigation mission and the Artemis III moon landing with hardware that already exists — that is, the Orion space capsule and the uber-expensive Space Launch System. Artemis III will also include a Human Landing System based on the SpaceX Starship. The strategy is laid out in the White House budget proposal, which states, vaguely, that after Artemis III the current lunar architecture will be replaced 'with more cost-effective commercial systems that would support more ambitious subsequent lunar missions.' The usual Washington method of determining something like the benefits of 'maintaining a presence on the lunar surface' is to form a committee of experts to deliberate then issue a report. One example would be the Second Augustine Commission that concluded that the Bush 43-era Constellation program to return to the moon and on to Mars was unaffordable. A better way to determine the benefits of a presence on the lunar surface is to establish a presence on the lunar surface — a lunar base. There is nothing like trying something to figure out its value. The value of a lunar base can be divided into science, economic development, and soft political power. Twenty years ago, Dr. Paul Spudis offered the scientific case for returning to the moon. 'The moon is a scientific laboratory of extraordinary facility, richness and benefit,' he wrote. 'The history of our corner of the solar system for the past 4 billion years is preserved and readable in the ancient dust of the lunar surface.' Because the moon lacks an atmosphere and a dynamic surface, billions of years of impacts and the ever-changing effects of the sun are recorded in its soil. Also, the far side of the moon, shielded from the electromagnetic noise of the Earth, is the perfect site for a space-based radio telescope. 'That allows observation of the sky at radio wavelengths never before seen,' Spudis noted. As far as economic development goes, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory points to important lunar resources — water, helium 3, and rare earths. In addition, the moon contains industrial resources such as titanium, iron, silicon, and aluminum. A lunar base would a the venue for companies to develop the technologies needed to mine and refine these resources. It may not make sense to transport them all the way to Earth, but Isaacman himself has said that 'We will ignite a thriving space economy in low Earth orbit.' The moon and its resources would be an integral part of that economy. The final reason that Isaacman should commit to a lunar base concerns its usefulness for enhancing soft political power. China, the main enemy of the United States and its allies, has its own lunar ambitions. It intends to build a moon base at the lunar south pole by 2035. The U.S. cannot afford a situation where China has a base on the moon and it does not. If America wants to maintain its standing in the world, it must establish its own lunar base. As with the International Space Station, the lunar base should be built and operated with American allies. Japan, India, Canada, the countries of the European Union, among others, would compete for the honor of contributing to the lunar base and to have their astronauts serve tours on it. America's influence on the world stage would be enhanced by opening the road to the moon. A program to send humans to Mars, in alignment with Elon Musk's dream of founding a settlement on the Red Planet, is certainly a beautiful vision. But the moon is of more immediate importance and should not be neglected. With a crewed mission to Mars likely to happen in the 2030s, the moon can be a triumphant climax to the second Trump presidency by the end of the 2020s. Mark Whittington, who writes frequently about space policy, has published a political study of space exploration entitled Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? as well as The Moon, Mars and Beyond, and, most recently, Why is America Going Back to the Moon?
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shift4 turns to restaurants for future growth
This story was originally published on Payments Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Payments Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Digital payment processor Shift4 singled out the restaurant industry as an avenue for future growth in an earnings call last week. 'We are focused on adding new merchants while simultaneously expanding our share of wallet in restaurants,' Shift4 President Taylor Lauber said in his prepared marks on the call Tuesday with analysts. Shift4 directors will vote on whether to appoint Lauber as the company's new chief executive if Jared Isaacman, the company's founder and current CEO, is confirmed by the Senate to lead NASA, Lauber said. The Commerce Committee on Wednesday advanced Isaacman's nomination to the full Senate, where a vote has not yet been scheduled. Dive Insight: Allentown, Pennsylvania-based Shift4 is known largely for working with athletic venues and professional sports teams, but Lauber said the company has lately experienced success partnering with restaurants, especially in Europe. 'We are making tremendous progress signing up restaurants, particularly in the U.K., Ireland and Germany,' he said on the call. 'Our momentum has picked up significantly this year. We're now signing up over 1,000 restaurants a month internationally.' Shift4 spokespeople did not respond to a message asking how many restaurants the company works with, or how that figure has grown in recent months. Analysts struck a cautious note about the dining strategy, given that much of Shift4's business already comes from sectors like sports and entertainment that rely on consumers' disposable income. 'The sensitivity of these industries to discretionary spending could result in cash flow volatility if the company's growth slows under recessionary periods,' analysts from the credit ratings firm Fitch Ratings said in a note to investors Tuesday. Analysts for investment bank Stephens were more optimistic but also struck a guarded tone. 'While consumer spending remains a concern, we note that (Shift4's) same store sales in hotels and restaurants have performed in line with expectations' in the first quarter, the analysts wrote in a note to investors Tuesday. Lauber insisted in the earnings call that consumers will continue to show up at restaurants, even if the economy sours. On another front, Lauber said Isaacman won't sell his shares when he leaves the company to become the head of NASA. Trump nominated Isaacman to lead NASA in December. The CEO faced numerous questions during a Senate confirmation hearing on April 9.
