Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster says that following his "deep dive" on available digital payment solutions, he believes functionality among digital payments options offered by card networks Visa (V), MasterCard (MA) and American Express (AXP) and hardware providers Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG) and Samsung (SSNLF) will reduce PayPal's (PYPL) product differentiation. With competition mounting, PayPal's transaction margins could be hurt, Munster tells investors in a research note. He reiterates an Underweight rating on the stock with a $33 price target.

Meta (META), Google (GOOGL), Snap (SNAP), and Amazon (AMZN) all benefit from the U.S.' ban of TikTok, The Washington Post's Will Oremus reports. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticized TikTok's Chinese roots in 2019, part of Meta's broader campaign, Oremus writes. Reference Link

Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists. 1... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

Welcome to "#SocialStocks," The Fly's weekly recap of Wall Street's reactions to social media stock news.  TIK TOK BAN... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

Microsoft (MSFT) is scheduled to report results of the third quarter of its fiscal year 2024 after the market close on Thursday, April 25, with a conference call scheduled for 5:30 pm ET. What to watch... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

TikTok Policy issued the following statement on the enactment of "the TikTok Ban": "This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court. We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail. The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation. This ban would devastate seven million businesses and silence 170 million Americans. As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue investing and innovating to ensure TikTok remains a space where Americans of all walks of life can safely come to share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired." Publicly traded companies in the social media space that compete with TikTok include Meta Platforms (META), Alphabet (GOOGL), Pinterest (PINS) and Snap (SNAP). Reference Link

DMG Blockchain Solutions (DMGGF) announced a strategic collaboration with PayPal (PYPL) and Energy Web to explore ways to decarbonize the Bitcoin blockchain. The companies are working together on developing methods for transacting on the Bitcoin network which would expand its use as a carbon neutral payment rail, thus advancing its application. DMG, Energy Web, and PayPal are working together to publish a research paper, which we collectively believe will benefit users of the Bitcoin network who would like to take advantage of carbon neutral options in their transactions. PayPal, with its focus on developing its bitcoin payment rail, has been a leader in new payment technologies with the introduction of its enhanced services by integrating blockchain technology, launching the PayPal USD stablecoin with Paxos Trust Company in August 2023 for efficient transactions.

Check out this morning's top movers from around Wall Street, compiled by The Fly. UP AFTER EARNINGS... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

Wedbush analyst Moshe Katri raised the firm's price target on Visa to $300 from $280 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. The firm notes Visa reported stronger than expected Q2/FY24 results, while reiterating FY24 guidance.

Wells Fargo raised the firm's price target on American Express to $265 from $250 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm sees a good case for management to express greater confidence in or lean to the upper end of the EPS or revenue guide for 2024. With the macro haze fading, Wells believes investors will come away with a greater appreciation of the competitive position and moat.

Citi raised the firm's price target on Visa to $321 from $314 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. the company's March quarter results featured a top- and bottom-line beat and while the reiterated fiscal 2024 outlook implies lower second half of the year revenues, a modest step-up in growth remains embedded and the low double-digit exit rate bodes well for fiscal 2025, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm says the clarity on Visa's revenue trajectory and breadth of opportunity should support the multiple.

Apple saw sales of its iPhones fall 19.1% in the first three months of the year, CNBC's Ryan Browne reports, citing data from Counterpoint Research. Meanwhile, Huawei saw a 69.7% surge in smartphone sales in the country during the same period, Counterpoint said. Reference Link