PayPal CEO Change Amid Disappointing Earnings
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 03 2026
0mins
Should l Buy PYPL?
Source: Fool
- CEO Departure: PayPal has parted ways with CEO Alex Chriss, who has been in the role since late 2023, as his efforts to revitalize the company post-COVID have not yielded the expected results, prompting the board to seek new leadership for growth.
- Disappointing Earnings: In the fourth quarter, PayPal's revenue grew by only 4% and adjusted EPS by 3%, with disappointing guidance for 2026 due to lower interest rates and increased investment needs, indicating that growth initiatives have not yet translated into improved financial performance.
- Strategic Partnerships and Innovations: PayPal announced it will be the first integrated payments wallet in OpenAI's ChatGPT and has partnered with Google to develop new payment solutions, showcasing its proactive approach to technology and market integration aimed at enhancing future competitiveness.
- Stock Buyback Plan: PayPal plans to execute $6 billion in stock buybacks in 2026, potentially repurchasing about 15% of its outstanding shares, a move that could create long-term value for shareholders while reflecting the company's confidence in its future amidst current undervaluation.
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Analyst Views on PYPL
Wall Street analysts forecast PYPL stock price to rise
29 Analyst Rating
6 Buy
19 Hold
4 Sell
Hold
Current: 49.750
Low
51.00
Averages
72.86
High
100.00
Current: 49.750
Low
51.00
Averages
72.86
High
100.00
About PYPL
PayPal Holdings, Inc. offers a technology platform. The Company’s products are designed to enable digital payments and simplify commerce experiences for consumers and merchants to make selling, shopping, and sending and receiving money simple, personalized, and secure, online or offline, including mobile. It provides consumers with a digital wallet that enables them to send payments to merchants securely using a variety of funding sources, which include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, its consumer credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products. It operates a global, two-sided network at scale that connects consumers and merchants with 434 million active accounts across approximately 200 markets. Its brands include PayPal, Braintree, Venmo, Xoom, Hyperwallet, PayPal Zettle, PayPal Honey, and Paidy. It offers financing products through the PayPal Working Capital (PPWC) and PayPal Business Loan (PPBL).
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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