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Investing.com -- Paysafe stock surged higher Thursday following a report from Bloomberg that said the online payments firm is exploring a potential sale after receiving takeover interest.
At 3:00 PM ET, shares of Paysafe were up 17.9%.
The London-based company, backed by private equity firms Blackstone (NYSE:BX) Inc. and CVC Capital Partners (WA:CPAP), is working with a financial adviser to evaluate its options, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
In addition to a possible sale, Paysafe (NYSE:PSFE) is also considering the disposal of non-core assets ahead of any transaction, according to the article.
Despite the rally, Bloomberg noted that the the stock remains down about 80% since Paysafe’s 2020 agreement to go public via a merger with Foley Trasimene Acquisition Corp. II. That deal had valued the firm at $9 billion, including debt.
Paysafe provides payment processing services that allow businesses to accept credit cards, cash, and direct-debit transfers online. It also offers prepaid cards and digital wallets.
Discussions are said to be ongoing, although there is no certainty that they will lead to a sale.
Commenting on the rumors, BTIG analyst Andrew Harte said while he won’t predict if the company will actually be acquired, the headlines "are a reminder of the cheap valuation at which the stock trades." He highlights the stock trades at 6.6x FY25E EV/EBITDA multiple and a 20% FCF yield.
Nuvei (TSX:NVEI), Harte highlights, was acquired last year for 12x EV/EBITDA. "PSFE has higher leverage and slower growth than NVEI, but even if it fetched a 9x multiple, the stock would be worth ~$40," the analyst added.