PayPal shares fall after revenue forecast misses estimates

PayPal Holdings Inc. shares dropped after the firm’s fourth-quarter revenue forecast fell short of analysts’ estimates.

Revenue will climb in the low single-digit range in the final three months of the year, the company said Tuesday, while analysts had been predicting a 5.4% increase. Third-quarter revenue of $7.85 billion was also slightly below expectations.

The company cited its “price-to-value strategy” in making the forecast. Chief Executive Officer Alex Chriss has previously said a plan to move away from giving customers free access to PayPal technologies “will take time,” which could mean slower revenue growth.

The shares, which gained 36% this year through Monday, dropped 6.2% at 7:54 a.m. in New York.

The company said total payments volume increased 9% to $422.6 billion, beating the $421.6 billion prediction by analysts, as the payments giant benefited from improvements to its checkout technology and e-commerce partnerships.

“We are making solid progress in our transformation as we bring new innovations to market, forge important partnerships with leading commerce players, and drive awareness and engagement through new marketing campaigns,” Chriss said in a statement Tuesday.

PayPal is rolling out new capabilities for merchants and customers, enticing spenders with rewards and easier transactions, investing in digital currencies and striking partnerships as the firm seeks to revive its share price and prioritize profitable growth following a spate of acquisitions.

PayPal said earnings per diluted share increased 6% to 99 cents. The San Jose, California-based company also reported an 8% jump in transaction margin dollars to $3.65 billion, fueled by interest on customer balances as well as its branded checkout, Venmo and its Braintree unit.

The firm raised its full-year forecast for the metric, which captures the profitability of the payment-processing business. It now expects mid-single -digit growth, after earlier predicting a low- to mid-single -digit increase, it said.