PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) announced its largest restructuring in years, drawing a measured response from Wall Street.
BofA Securities analyst Matthew O'Neill maintains a Neutral rating on PayPal with a $55 price forecast.
The forecast implies about 9% upside from the current $50.44 share price. He bases the valuation on a 10x multiple of his 2027 EPS estimate of $5.46.
Strategic Reorganization
On April 29, PayPal announced a strategic reorganization into three operating segments: Checkout Solutions & PayPal, Consumer Financial Services & Venmo, and Payment Services & Crypto.
O'Neill sees bundling Venmo with credit, BNPL, savings, and debit as a major strategic move.
He says it positions the unit to compete directly with Cash App and Chime under one P&L.
Reduction In Force Expectations
O'Neill flags the paused 15% workforce reduction, prepared under former CEO Chriss, as likely to occur over the next one to two quarters.
He interprets "Simplification" in new Chief AI Officer Anshu Bhardwaj's title as a public cost-reduction mandate reflecting CEO Lores' prior playbook at HP.
Venmo Valuation
O'Neill estimates Venmo's standalone value at $5–$6 billion, or 11–13% of PayPal's $45 billion enterprise value, based on valuation multiples from Chime and Cash App.
The bundled segment, including consumer credit, BNPL receivables, debit interchange, and savings, could be valued at $8–$11 billion, making it a viable standalone public company.
Financial Projections
O'Neill forecasts flat EPS growth in 2026 at $5.31, with modest increases to $5.46 in 2027 and $5.77 in 2028.
The analyst projects free cash flow will decline to $4.6 billion in 2026 before partially recovering. It expects operating margins to fall from 18.3% in 2025 to 12.8% by 2028.
O'Neill views PayPal's risk and reward as balanced. The company's scale and strong balance sheet help offset competitive pressures, leadership transition risks, and potential AI-driven disintermediation in payments.
PYPL Price Action: PayPal Holdings shares were up 0.12% at $50.50 at the time of publication on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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