Goldman Sachs maintains neutral PayPal stock with $90 target

Published 19/02/2025, 14:02
Goldman Sachs maintains neutral PayPal stock with $90 target

On Wednesday, Goldman Sachs reaffirmed its Neutral rating and a steady price target of $90.00 for PayPal Holdings Inc . (NASDAQ:PYPL), which currently commands a market capitalization of $77.6 billion. The financial institution’s commentary focused on the upcoming analyst day for PayPal, which will be the first since the company experienced management changes and strategic shifts. According to InvestingPro data, 17 analysts have recently revised their earnings expectations upward for the upcoming period, with price targets ranging from $70 to $125. The expectations for the event are centered on PayPal’s potential announcements regarding product enhancements aimed at driving better performance in the coming years.

Investors are particularly tuned in to the discussions of competitive dynamics in the branded checkout space, following PayPal’s fourth-quarter 2024 earnings report. There, PayPal indicated that growth for branded checkout in the United States was in the low single digits. This statement sparked discussions about market share losses and heightened investor interest in how PayPal plans to navigate the competitive landscape.

Goldman Sachs highlighted that the digital wallet arena is becoming increasingly competitive, with mobile payment solutions like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Pay and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Pay gaining market share. As payment methods continue to evolve, shifting away from physical and manual card entry to near-field communication (NFC) and digital wallets, the challenges for PayPal to maintain its market position are expected to intensify. For deeper insights into PayPal’s competitive position and financial health (currently rated as GOOD by InvestingPro), investors can access the comprehensive Pro Research Report, available exclusively to subscribers.

The report from Goldman Sachs did not change the firm’s stance on PayPal’s stock, indicating that the market is eager to learn about PayPal’s strategies to sustain its relevance amid the rapid digitization of payment systems. The analyst day is anticipated to provide crucial insights into how PayPal will address these competitive challenges and what investors can expect in terms of the company’s growth trajectory and market share defense. InvestingPro analysis suggests PayPal is currently trading below its Fair Value, presenting a potential opportunity for investors looking at the financial technology sector.

In other recent news, PayPal’s earnings and revenue developments have been a focal point for analysts and investors. Citi analyst Ashwin Shirvaikar noted that PayPal exceeded fourth-quarter expectations in both top and bottom-line results, attributing this success to better-than-anticipated total payment volume and value-added services. Despite these achievements, PayPal’s growth in U.S. branded checkout volume was lower than anticipated, with competition from alternatives like Shop Pay and Apple Pay being a concern. Mizuho (NYSE:MFG) Securities adjusted its price target for PayPal from $100 to $96, citing a slowdown in U.S. Branded Checkout growth but maintained an Outperform rating due to potential upside from new initiatives.

RBC Capital Markets, on the other hand, raised its price target for PayPal to $104, reflecting a positive outlook despite mixed signals from recent growth figures. They highlighted the upcoming Investor Day as a critical moment for PayPal to outline its strategic initiatives. Meanwhile, BTIG maintained a Neutral rating, expressing caution due to uncertainties in PayPal’s growth outlook and suggesting that significant pricing and margin improvements might not occur until late 2025. Investors are keenly awaiting further insights from PayPal’s Investor Day, where the company is expected to provide updates on its future trajectory in the competitive digital payments landscape.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

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