Why Halliburton, PayPal Could Catch Up With Street Expectations

Shares of oil services company Halliburton Company HAL are trading nearly 20% behind the average Wall Street price target, while financial payments company Paypal Holdings Inc PYPL slightly trails behind at 16%.

Should investors be buyers of the two stocks? Miller Tabak's Matt Maley took a deeper look during a recent CNBC "Trading Nation" segment.

Oversold Conditions In Oil

The oil sector as a whole has "badly underperformed" the broader market, Maley said. But the underperformance has come to a point where oil stocks are both "over-hated" and "very underowned," he said. 

Halliburton in particular is showing signs of life on a technical basis, Maley said. 

The stock peaked at around $55 in mid-2018 and has been declining since then. The stock recently broke above the trend line and made a higher low, and if it follows up with a higher high above $22.50, it would be "quite bullish" for the stock, he said. 

"If it can move above its most recent highs of $23.80, that's going to confirm that at least its short-term trend has changed and give it some upside movement." 

Bounce Back In Paypal

PayPal's stock has been "sliding lower" over the past four months and has failed to hold on to any upward momentum, Maley also said on "Trading Nation."

The stock attempted on three occasions to trade north of the 100-day moving average, but the result was a consistent move to the downside.

The 100-day moving average is a key level for the stock, but also doubles as the neckline of an inverse head-and-shoulders pattern, Maley said.

If the stock can break above the 100-day moving average, it will be a "very, very good" bullish indicator, he said, adding that the upside potential could be especially strong if the stock takes out September's highs of $110.

"That'll confirm that its intermediate-term trend has changed and that it's going higher."

Halliburton shares were up 2.78% at $21.41 at the close Wednesday, while PayPal shares were up 1.46% at $107.75. 

Related Links:

Opportunity With A Battered Energy ETF

Large PayPal Option Trader Betting On 5% More Downside