PayPal's Growth Story Is Dead: Here Is My 2026 Reality Check (Downgrade)

Julian LinInvesting Group LeaderFollow5ShareSavePlay(8min)Comments(6)SummaryPayPal faces a broken growth story, CEO turnover, and reset guidance, yet trades at an undemanding 8x forward earnings.Despite weak branded checkout volumes and withdrawn long-term targets, PYPL maintains a net cash balance sheet and robust GAAP margins.Management expects transaction margin and non-GAAP EPS declines in 2025, but aggressive share repurchases and unbranded business recovery offer some stability.I rate PYPL a "Buy," citing low valuation, takeover potential, and 25% upside to a 10x earnings target despite significant competitive and execution risks.Looking for a portfolio of ideas like this one? Members of Best Of Breed Growth Stocks get exclusive access to our subscriber-only portfolios. Learn More » Images By Tang Ming Tung/DigitalVision via Getty Images PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) has been a rather disappointing holding. The company has been in the headlines as of late due to volatility in its C-suite as well as apparently being the subject of takeover rumors. The new CEO has withdrawnThis article was written byJulian Lin37.28K FollowersFollowJulian Lin is a financial analyst. He finds undervalued companies with secular growth that appreciate over time. His approach is to look for companies with strong balance sheets and management teams in sectors with long growth runways. Julian is the leader of the investing group Best Of Breed Growth Stocks where he only shares positions in stocks which have a large probability of delivering large alpha relative to the S&P 500. He also combines growth-oriented principles with strict valuation hurdles to add an additional layer to the conventional margin of safety. Features include: exclusive access to Julian's highest conviction picks, full stock research reports, real-time trade alerts, macro market analysis, individual industry reports, a filtered watchlist, and community chat with access to Julian 24/7. Learn more.Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of PYPL, AFRM either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.