PayPal Gains on Upgrade

PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) noticed its shares gaining Tuesday, following an upgrade to a buy from hold by Truist, which also raised its price target on the digital payments stock.

In addition, the company has M&A and stock buyback flexibility due to its ~$6B of net cash, Jeffrey wrote in a note to clients.

“We would not be surprised by C-suite changes this year, following CFO John Rainey’s departure,” he said. CEO Dan Schulman turns 65 this year, he points out, and has led the company since September 2014.

“A new CEO would be positioned to build on Mr. Schulman’s success, in our opinion, while also wielding a freer M&A hand, perhaps moving the company into card present acquiring, expanding its TAM (total addressable market) and boosting terminal revenue/EPS growth,” he added.

In the past six months, the Wall Street’s consensus revenue estimate for 2023 has declined by 2.7% to $27.55B

Jeffrey’s Buy rating contrasts with the SA Quant rating of Hold and aligns with the average SA Author’s rating and average Wall Street rating , both at Buy.

SA contributor Z Kassotakis sees PayPal prospering in the long-run due to its solid financial performance and dominant position in the digital payment industry.

Shares in PayPal were propelled higher $2.37, or 3.3%, to $73.59.