U.S. politician makes super suspicious PayPal stock trade

With PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) stock plunging more than 30% in 2026, a United States senator placed a notable bet on the fintech giant.

In this line, Senator John Boozman disclosed purchasing PayPal shares worth between $1,001 and $15,000 through a joint account on January 29, 2026, just days before the company reported disappointing earnings and announced a sudden leadership change.

The transaction was revealed in periodic filings dated February 15, 2026, detailing his broader activity in stocks and ETFs. Since his PYPL purchase, the lawmaker is down almost 25% on the trade, with the equity changing hands at $40 as of press time.

Notably, the Congress trade came at a fragile moment for PayPal, which has been losing market share amid rising competition from Apple Pay and Shop Pay.

On February 3, the company posted fourth-quarter 2025 results showing revenue roughly $300 million below expectations and adjusted earnings that missed estimates, alongside weak 2026 guidance forecasting limited growth and possible profit declines.

Shares sank nearly 20% in a single session, falling to multi-year lows. The turmoil deepened with the abrupt replacement of the CEO by former HP executive Enrique Lores, heightening concerns over execution and slowing growth.

Suspicion around Boozman stock trades 

Interestingly, Boozman serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. Suspicion is likely to arise given that the committee oversees regulators affecting payment processors, drawing attention to the timing of his trade.

Beyond the PayPal purchase, Boozman’s disclosures showed a flurry of other activity, including buys in Visa (NYSE: V), Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX), Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), DexCom (NASDAQ: DXCM), CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), Eaton Corporation (NYSE: ETN), Disney (NYSE: DIS), and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL).

He also invested in numerous ETFs focused on energy, commodities, real estate, and bonds, such as the First Trust Energy Income and Growth ETF, Tortoise North American Pipeline ETF, and Sprott Lithium Miners ETF, many on January 23.

On the selling side, the politician partially offloaded Union Pacific, Omnicom Group, Micron Technology, and Lam Research, fully divested from Fiserv, and trimmed various ETFs, including the iShares Russell 2000 and SPDR S&P MidCap 400. 

Several of these moves tie directly to his committee responsibilities, including his chairmanship of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee and senior roles on appropriations subcommittees overseeing energy, healthcare, infrastructure, and financial services.

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