What's Going On With PayPal Stock Wednesday?

PayPal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL) is trading slightly lower Wednesday morning as investors digest recent leadership changes, takeover chatter and analyst downgrades. The move extends a rocky stretch that has already pushed the stock around 37% lower over the past year. Here’s what investors need to know.

• PayPal stock is showing downward bias. What’s next for PYPL stock?

Leadership Shake-Up, Takeover Speculation

Sentiment around PayPal remains fragile after the company replaced CEO Alex Chriss and named Enrique Lores of HP Inc as his successor. The leadership change has sparked interest from potential bidders, with PayPal reportedly speaking to banks about strategic alternatives after recent takeover headlines briefly lifted the shares from lows.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Stripe was considering an acquisition of PayPal. The discussions are reportedly in the early stages.

Analysts have also reacted cautiously to the latest developments, reducing ratings and cutting price targets. Canaccord Genuity's Joseph Vafi recently lowered his rating on the stock from Buy to Hold and slashed his price target from $100 to $42, pointing to slowing growth in branded checkout and a softer fiscal outlook.

PayPal Stock Remains Under Pressure

Over the past year, PayPal's share price has trended steadily lower from the low-$70s, peaking near $78.22 before sliding to a low of $38.46.

The stock has spent most of the period below its 50- and 200-day moving averages, highlighting a persistent downtrend despite a recent bounce off the lows.

Wall Street Analyst Outlook

Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Hold Rating with an average price target of $66.12. Recent analyst moves include:

• Truist Securities: Sell (Lowers Target to $39.00) (Feb. 10)
• Cantor Fitzgerald: Neutral (Lowers Target to $42.00) (Feb. 9)
• Macquarie: Outperform (Lowers Target to $58.00) (Feb. 4)

PYPL Shares Edge Lower Wednesday

PYPL Price Action: PayPal Holdings shares were down 0.21% at $46.93 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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