PayPal stock has remained in a narrow range since September as investors wait for the next move after Stripe and Advent International decided to abandon its buyout. PYPL was trading at $54.41 on Monday, lower than the August high of $62.45. It has formed an island reversal pattern, pointing to a rebound as its third-quarter earnings report loom.

PayPal stock has wavered after Stripe and Advent abandoned

PYPL stock has moved sideways in the past few weeks as investors reacted to the decision by Stripe and Advent decided to abandon their takeover bid. According to Bloomberg, PayPal’s management saw the takeover bid as being highly inadequate. They believe that the company can achieve a better valuation if its turnaround measures work.

PayPal has then reacted to reports that other bidders may be interested in PayPal. Besides, it is one of the most popular companies in the fintech industry. It is also a highly undervalued company with a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 9.80, lower than the sector median of 11. It is also much lower than the five-year average of 16. 

A potential acquirer has several ways of boosting shareholder value. For example, PayPal can opt to spin off the highly valuable Venmo product into a separately traded company. It may also decide to sell its non-core assets and cut costs. 

PayPal’s growth has stalled over time

PayPal’s ongoing PayPal’s weakness is mostly because its growth has stalled following the surge that happened during the pandemic. 

Its most recent results showed that the number of PayPal accounts remained flat at 439 million, with the number of active accounts rising by just 1% to 228 million. PayPal’s number of payment transactions rose by 8%, while the number of transactions per active account rose by 3%.

Venmo’s transaction growth continued as it experienced the second consecutive quarter of mid-teens growth.

Analysts expect the company’s revenue growth to remain under pressure for a while. The average estimate among analysts is that its annual revenue will grow by 4.76% this year and 4.2% next year. Its earnings-per-share is also expected to remain under pressure. 

Most analysts have a neutral outlook for the company, with the average estimate being $56, a few points about where it is today. 34 analysts have a hold rating, while 9 and 4 have a buy and sell rating, respectively.

PYPL stock price technical analysis

PayPal stock chart | Source: TradingView

The daily chart shows that the PYPL stock has struggled in the past few months. It formed a big down-gap in February after releasing weak earnings. It also formed another down-gap in April and an up-gap in July after Stripe and Advent made their bid. 

The stock then made a big down-gap in August after the two companies walked away. A closer look shows that it has formed an island reversal pattern, which happens when an asset makes a gap and then consolidates. It has remained above the 100-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA).

Therefore, the stock will likely rebound ahead of its earnings. If this happens, it may rebound to the next key resistance at $62.45, its highest point in August.

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