PayPal's Downsizing Was Needed For Leaner Cost Structure, Analyst Says

  • Mizuho analyst Dan Dolev reiterated Buy on PayPal Holdings, Inc PYPL with a price target of $105.
  • PYPL shared plans to reduce headcount by ~7%, or 2,000 employees. 
  • With over 30,000 employees, the analyst believes PYPL was overstaffed, so a leaner cost structure should be well-received.
  • The analyst estimated that reducing headcount by 2,000 could drive roughly $400 million in cost savings or 100-150 bps margin upside. 
  • The analyst believes these cuts were needed, as they should help PYPL get more on par with peers like Visa Inc V and Mastercard Inc MA regarding employee efficiency. 
  • The analyst estimated that in 2021, PYPL generated ~$500K of revenue per employee vs. $500-600K at Adyen and $750K-$1M+ at the networks.
  • PYPL blames the "challenging macro-economic environment" as a key reason for the cost reduction. 
  • The comments appear more cautious vs. the more upbeat commentary by V and MA management last week about the general macro.
  • Given the recent challenges, the price target reflected a discount to V & MA. 
  • Price Action: PYPL shares traded lower by 1.80% at $80.02 on the last check Wednesday.
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
Comments
Loading...
date
ticker
name
Price Target
Upside/Downside
Recommendation
Firm
Posted In: Analyst ColorNewsPrice TargetReiterationAnalyst RatingsMediaBriefsData Processing & Outsourced ServicesInformation Technology
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing

Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

Join Now: Free!