PayPal stock price tanked by nearly 20% on Tuesday, becoming one of the top laggards on Wall Street, after publishing weak financial results and a leadership change.
- PayPal share price continued its strong downward trend.
- The company published weak financial results and fired its CEO.
- Its revenue and profits were weaker than expected.
PayPal shares crashed after weak earnings
PayPal, considered a top fintech company, is currently trading at around $42.19, down from its all-time high of $300. It has plunged to its lowest level since April 2017, with its market cap dropping from over $386 billion to $40 billion.
PayPal stock price crashed after the company published weak financial results. Its revenue rose by 4% in the fourth quarter to $8.7 billion, while its operating income jumped by 5% to $1.5 billion.
The company expects its revenue and profit growth to continue to slow as competition intensifies. For example, its first-quarter guidance is that earnings per share will drop by mid-single digits. The same will happen this year when its EPS is expected to drop by mid-single digits.
The slow growth explains why the company decided to replace its CEO. Alex Chriss has been replaced by Enrique Lores, an executive from HP. Jamie Miller, the CFO and Chief Operating Officer, will be the interim CEO before Lores takes over. The company said:
“While some progress has been made in a number of areas over the last two years, the pace of change and execution was not in line with the Board’s expectations.”
PayPal has been under pressure in the past few years as its growth slowed and competition rose. Its branded and unbranded businesses face substantial competition from companies such as Klarna, Affirm, Google, and Apple.
The most significant competition comes from stablecoins such as USDT, RLUSD, and USDC. Many users and companies are opting for stablecoin transactions because of their speed and convenience.
PayPal launched the PayPal ($PYUSD) stablecoin, whose supply has jumped to over $3.6 billion. The challenge for PayPal is how to monetize $PYUSD, as the GENIUS Actlimits how stablecoin companies make money. They can only invest in short-term US government bonds.
PayPal’s woes are reflected in its valuation. Its stock trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 9.77, much lower than the S&P 500 average of 22.
PayPal stock price technical analysis
The weekly timeframe chart shows that the PYPL stock has been in a strong downward trend in the past few weeks. It has dropped from a high of $83.20 in 2025 to $42 today.
This crash occurred as the coin formed an inverted cup-and-handle pattern. It also formed a head-and-shoulders pattern. It remains below all moving averages, while the Relative Strength Index continues to fall.
Therefore, the most likely scenario is where the stock continues falling in the near term. However, a rebound is still possible as investors wait for Lore’s turnaround strategy.