u/mrmrmrj ·
Reddit — r/ValueInvesting
· July 15, 2026 at 13:05
· ⬆ 16 pts
· 💬 68 comments
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Summary
The post discusses a rumored joint bid by Stripe and private equity firm Advent for PayPal (PYPL) at ~$56 pre-market, with no specific terms disclosed.
The author, an ex-M&A arbitrageur, argues the offer needs to rise to at least $65 (10-15% higher) to gain shareholder approval, and views this as the best chance for PYPL holders to see the stock in the $60s.
Quality assessment: speculative but informed by M&A experience; not deep fundamental DD, more a deal-arbitrage perspective based on market dynamics and shareholder sentiment.
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Stripe and private equity firm Advent have made a joint bid for Paypal. The shares are trading at $56 in the pre market. I do not see any specific terms for this deal - all cash or cash/stock blend. Stock would be strange given that Stripe is private, of course. Assuming this is all cash. Stripe could use this deal to go public potentially but I don't think that is in the cards.
Paypal is a recurring discussion in this subreddit. In another life, I had a lot of experience in M&A arbitrage in public markets. It is my immediate reaction that the $60 will have to rise for this deal to get full stockholder enthusiasm. The shares were $91 a year ago but there is no way this offer gets close to that level. An increase of 10-15% would be normal, getting the offer into the high $60s.
Many long term owners (and Michael Burry is already saying this) will argue that this is a lowball offer. However, PYPL has been struggling for a long time. Stripe is a great company.
This is probably the best prospect for PYPL shareholders to see the stock in the $60s. If I was a shareholder today (I have been been but not now), I would vote for this deal at $65 or better.