New York, Feb 25, 2026, 12:02 EST — Regular session
- PayPal dropped 0.5% Wednesday, giving back a slice of Tuesday’s almost 7% rally that had been fueled by fresh takeover speculation.
- Stripe is considering buying all or part of PayPal, Reuters said, referencing a Bloomberg report and unnamed sources.
- PayPal’s spot at the Wolfe Fintech Forum on March 10, plus the Q1 earnings call set for May 5, are the next places investors are hunting for new cues.
PayPal slipped 0.5% to $46.77 as of midday Wednesday, cooling off after Tuesday’s rally, which had drawn deal-hunters back to the stock.
PayPal (PYPL.O) shares jumped nearly 7% by Tuesday’s close after Bloomberg News reported that private payments player Stripe is weighing a possible bid for all or part of PayPal. Both PayPal and Stripe wouldn’t comment on the report. Reuters couldn’t confirm the story on its own.
Why it matters now: Stripe speculation surfaced just a day after Bloomberg reported that PayPal held meetings with banks following unsolicited takeover interest. The suitors? Some eyeing the entire business, others focused on particular assets. That interest is still early-stage and might not go anywhere, Bloomberg said.
The dip on Wednesday threw cold water on the recent rumor-fueled surge. Sure, traders are factoring in the possibility of a bid. But the lingering question? Who actually steps up with hard cash, and which slice of the business are they eyeing.
PayPal stuck to business, highlighting that Rainforest rolled out an embedded integration for software platforms, bringing PayPal, Venmo, and PayPal Pay Later options directly into checkout—fully baked into a platform’s interface instead of tacked on after the fact. “Vertical software is a strategic growth area for PayPal,” said senior vice president Taira Hall. Rainforest CEO Joshua Silver described demand for the integration as “increasingly eager.” PayPal Newsroom
PayPal kept up its focus on artificial intelligence, telling investors it secured the top spot for “AI Talent” in the 2026 Evident AI Index for Payments. CTO Srini Venkatesan highlighted the shift toward “safe, open, and trusted AI-driven experiences” as online commerce gets more “agentic”—meaning, software is starting to act for users. PayPal Newsroom
Several Wall Street desks see a full PayPal buyout as a tall order given the company’s scale, but aren’t ruling out parts of the business hitting the market. Barron’s pointed to Mizuho sticking with its Outperform call and a $60 price target. Truist stayed bearish—still a Sell—citing PayPal’s shrinking checkout segment.
The risk is straightforward: takeover interest often vanishes as quickly as it surfaces. With no confirmed bidder or deal on the table, shares could slip back into moving with company performance—and PayPal still faces the challenge of convincing investors its turnaround has staying power.
Investors are watching the Wolfe Fintech Forum set for March 10, with PayPal’s CFO and COO Jamie Miller slated to speak.
PayPal has its first-quarter 2026 earnings call lined up for May 5, set to go out before U.S. markets open.
