NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2025, 3:35 p.m. ET — Market closed [1]
PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) ended the last regular session near the $60 level and is now in “wait-and-watch” mode as U.S. equity markets remain closed for the weekend. PayPal shares last printed at $59.97, down 0.12% versus the prior close, after trading in a $59.54–$60.10 range with about 7.54 million shares changing hands in the most recent session. [2]
The broader tape has also cooled into year-end: U.S. stocks finished slightly lower on Friday, Dec. 26, in notably quiet post-Christmas trading—an important backdrop for PYPL, which can see outsized moves on thinner liquidity even when company-specific headlines are limited. [3]
PayPal stock price snapshot heading into the final trading week of 2025
PayPal begins the final week of the year trading closer to the lower end of its 52-week range ($55.85–$93.25)—a positioning that’s fueling a renewed “turnaround/value” debate among investors and commentators as 2026 approaches. [4]
While the stock hasn’t had a major breaking catalyst in the last trading day, PYPL remains tightly linked to three investor narratives that continue to shape sentiment:
- Branded checkout growth vs. margin/profit discipline
- Fintech competition and platform differentiation (Venmo, Braintree, BNPL, wallets)
- Regulatory and product optionality—especially PayPal’s U.S. banking ambitions
The latest PayPal news in the last 24–48 hours
Even with no major PayPal press release over the weekend, several high-traffic market outlets and financial sites published fresh PYPL-focused coverage in the last 24 hours:
- “Beaten-down comeback” framing: The Motley Fool argued that PayPal is among the stocks that could rebound in 2026, highlighting the extent of PYPL’s 2025 drawdown, ongoing buybacks, and a “cheap” valuation case relative to next year’s earnings. [5]
- “Best beaten-down stocks” list inclusion: Insider Monkey published a PYPL note positioning PayPal among “beaten-down” ideas, pointing readers back to PayPal’s bank-charter push and citing a research stance and price target from Bernstein SocGen. [6]
- Community-style narrative update: Simply Wall St’s community section ran a new PayPal narrative that revisits the market reaction to PayPal’s mid-December bank filing and frames the move as a potential pivot point in the turnaround story. [7]
- Institutional-holder activity recap: MarketBeat posted an “instant alert” style item about an institution trimming its PYPL position (based on filings), the kind of headline that can influence weekend sentiment even when it doesn’t change PayPal’s fundamentals. [8]
Taken together, the weekend coverage signals that PayPal is staying on the radar as a “2026 reset” candidate—especially for investors scanning for laggards that could respond quickly if growth metrics stabilize.
The big fundamental storyline: PayPal’s proposed “PayPal Bank”
A central pillar behind much of the recent PYPL commentary is PayPal’s decision to pursue a U.S. banking foothold.
On Dec. 15, PayPal said it submitted applications to establish “PayPal Bank,” a proposed Utah-chartered industrial loan company, filed with the Utah Department of Financial Institutions and the FDIC. In its announcement, PayPal said it has provided more than $30 billion in loans and working capital since 2013 and believes a bank could help it deliver small-business lending more efficiently, reduce reliance on third parties, and potentially expand offerings such as interest-bearing savings accounts. [9]
PayPal CEO Alex Chriss framed the rationale in small-business terms, saying, “Securing capital remains a significant hurdle for small businesses striving to grow and scale.” [10]
Reuters also emphasized the broader political/regulatory context, noting that fintech and crypto firms have been pursuing charters more actively in the current climate, and that PayPal selected Mara McNeill—a longtime financial-services executive and former CEO of Toyota Financial Savings Bank—as president of the proposed bank. [11]
For PYPL shareholders, the bank initiative matters because it could reshape the economics of lending, deposits, and processing over time—but it also introduces execution and regulatory timing risk. Approval is not guaranteed, and even with approval, the strategic benefits would likely accrue over multiple quarters rather than immediately.
The investor tension: “turnaround ingredients” vs. proof in the numbers
PayPal’s stock story remains a tug-of-war between potential catalysts and near-term growth concerns—especially around branded checkout.
Earlier in December, PayPal shares were pressured after CFO Jamie Miller warned that growth in PayPal’s branded checkout could slow in the fourth quarter, even as the company maintained its broader guidance and pointed to strength in areas like Venmo, BNPL, debit, and processing. [12]
That concern has fed into a more cautious analyst posture. For example:
- J.P. Morgan moved to the sidelines on PayPal, downgrading it to Neutral and lowering its price target (as reported by Barron’s), while still acknowledging PayPal’s longer-term work in AI-era commerce. [13]
- Morgan Stanley also cut its rating to Underweight in December, pointing to checkout-related concerns in coverage recaps. [14]
This is the key setup for Monday: PayPal doesn’t necessarily need a dramatic headline to move; it needs incremental evidence that branded checkout growth, engagement, and monetization are stabilizing while margins hold up.
Analyst forecasts and price targets for PYPL
Despite the stock hovering near $60, published consensus targets imply meaningful upside—though with a wide dispersion that underscores uncertainty.
- MarketBeat’s compilation shows an average 12‑month price target around $78 (roughly 30%+ above current levels). [15]
- StockAnalysis shows a similar average target near $78.96 with a consensus rating around Hold and a broad target range from roughly the low $50s to around $100. [16]
- Simply Wall St’s displayed consensus target is in the same neighborhood (around $78.48) with a high estimate reaching $120 and a low estimate around $51. [17]
How to read this: the Street isn’t unanimously bullish—but at ~$60, a sizeable chunk of published forecasts assumes PayPal can execute enough of a re-acceleration/efficiency story to justify a higher multiple than the market currently assigns.
What investors should know before the next session
Because the market is closed today, Monday’s open matters more—especially in year-end conditions where liquidity can be thinner.
1) Know the calendar and market schedule
The NYSE’s core trading session runs 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, and stocks are expected to trade normal hours this week even with the New Year holiday approaching. [18]
New Year’s Day (Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026) is a U.S. market holiday, with markets closed. [19]
(And while the bond market is expected to close early midweek, stock-market hours are expected to remain normal, per Investopedia’s week-ahead preview.) [20]
2) Watch macro data that can move fintech multiples
Investors often treat PayPal as both a “payments/consumer” stock and a rate-sensitive fintech. This week’s U.S. data calendar includes items like pending home sales (Monday), Case-Shiller home prices (Tuesday), and weekly jobless claims (Wednesday), along with Fed minutes (Tuesday), according to Investopedia’s week-ahead summary. [21]
Even if these releases aren’t “PayPal news,” they can swing expectations for growth, consumer resilience, and the interest-rate path—inputs that influence valuation across the fintech complex.
3) Focus on PYPL levels and the “headline sensitivity” setup
From a simple tape-reading perspective, the market has recently treated the $60 area as an important reference point for PYPL. Friday’s session range (roughly $59.54 to $60.10) is a clean short-term map: a decisive break above could invite momentum buying in thin holiday trade, while a slip below could quickly revive “new low” anxiety given PayPal’s broader 2025 drawdown. [22]
4) The next big company catalyst is earnings—but the date is still treated as unconfirmed
Several market calendars currently point to early February 2026 for PayPal’s next earnings report, with some listing Feb. 3, 2026 (often shown as “estimated” or “unconfirmed” depending on the calendar). [23]
Until PayPal confirms timing on its IR channels, investors should treat the date as a planning marker rather than a certainty.
Bottom line for PayPal stock heading into Monday
PayPal stock enters the last trading week of 2025 in a familiar—but potentially decisive—spot: the price is compressed near $60, weekend coverage is reviving the “2026 comeback” thesis, and the market is still demanding proof that PayPal’s core branded-checkout engine can grow consistently without sacrificing profitability.
For Monday’s session, the most practical investor checklist is straightforward:
- Track the broader market tone (year-end liquidity can exaggerate moves). [24]
- Monitor macro releases and Fed messaging that can reset fintech valuations. [25]
- Stay alert to any incremental updates on PayPal’s proposed bank and broader platform strategy, which remains one of PYPL’s most consequential longer-term catalysts. [26]
Investors should consider their risk tolerance and time horizon; PYPL remains a stock where sentiment can change quickly on relatively small growth-data signals.
References
1. www.nyse.com, 2. www.investing.com, 3. apnews.com, 4. www.investing.com, 5. www.fool.com, 6. www.insidermonkey.com, 7. simplywall.st, 8. www.marketbeat.com, 9. newsroom.paypal-corp.com, 10. newsroom.paypal-corp.com, 11. www.reuters.com, 12. www.barrons.com, 13. www.barrons.com, 14. www.investing.com, 15. www.marketbeat.com, 16. stockanalysis.com, 17. simplywall.st, 18. www.nyse.com, 19. www.nasdaq.com, 20. www.investopedia.com, 21. www.investopedia.com, 22. www.investing.com, 23. www.nasdaq.com, 24. apnews.com, 25. www.investopedia.com, 26. newsroom.paypal-corp.com
