--- title: "SHOP Stock Gets a $170 Target from a 5-Star Analyst Ahead of Earnings – Here's Why" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/293243343.md" description: "RBC Capital Markets analyst Paul Treiber maintains a Buy rating and $170 price target for Shopify (SHOP), anticipating stronger-than-expected Q2 earnings on August 5. Key drivers include robust GMV growth, increased merchant adoption, and AI-driven cost controls. With a Strong Buy consensus and average target of $158.30, RBC views current valuation weakness as an attractive entry point." datetime: "2026-07-20T17:44:42.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/293243343.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/293243343.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/293243343.md) --- # SHOP Stock Gets a $170 Target from a 5-Star Analyst Ahead of Earnings – Here's Why E-commerce platform Shopify (SHOP) could deliver stronger-than-expected second-quarter results when it reports earnings on August 5, according to RBC Capital Markets (RY). Indeed, five-star analyst Paul Treiber kept his Buy rating and $170 price target on the stock. He said recent third-party data suggests that "Shopify's robust momentum continues." As a result, RBC believes that both the company's second-quarter results and third-quarter guidance could come in above Wall Street's current estimates. ### Claim 55% Off TipRanks - Unlock powerful investing tools with TipRanks Premium to make smarter, more confident investment decisions - Subscribe to TipRanks Smart Investor Newsletter, and discover new investing opportunities with data-backed stock picks One of the strongest signals comes from gross merchandise volume, or GMV, which measures the total value of products sold through Shopify's platform. RBC estimates that second-quarter GMV could reach $117.9 billion. That would be well above the $111.9 billion expected by analysts. Treiber also believes that steady U.S. online shopping demand is helping Shopify. In addition, the company continues to add merchants. In fact, Shopify's active merchant count appears to have increased by 11% from the same period last year. Even more important, growth was stronger when looking at larger businesses, as the number of Shopify Plus merchants reportedly climbed by 21%. ## **Controlling Expenses with AI** Interestingly, another factor that is likely to help Shopify beat estimates is cost control. More specifically, RBC believes that Shopify is using artificial intelligence to keep some costs down. In turn, this is likely allowing the firm to be more careful when it comes to hiring, since AI could make current employees more productive. Meanwhile, Shopify's valuation has fallen as investors have pulled back from software stocks overall. Therefore, RBC believes that this weakness has created a more attractive setup. The firm says Shopify's strong growth and growing range of products support more upside. ## **Is SHOP Stock a Good Buy?** Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on SHOP stock based on 24 Buys, two Holds, and zero Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average SHOP price target of $158.30 per share implies 24.8% upside potential. (See STLA Stock Forecast). ### Related Stocks - [SHOP.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SHOP.US.md) - [SHPD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SHPD.US.md) - [SHPU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SHPU.US.md) - [RY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/RY.US.md) - [STLA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/STLA.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Why Is Shopify Stock Surging Monday?](https://longbridge.com/en/news/293958178.md) - [Hilltop Holdings Inc. Sells 10,290 Shares of Shopify Inc. $SHOP](https://longbridge.com/en/news/293907982.md) - [Shopify's Quiet AI Strategy Could Be Its Biggest Advantage Yet](https://longbridge.com/en/news/293126120.md) - [What Shopify’s Developer Conference This Week Tells Us About Investment Potential Across Canada](https://longbridge.com/en/news/293366433.md) - [Is Meta’s New AI Tool an Existential Threat to Shopify?](https://longbridge.com/en/news/293643057.md)