Citing ongoing macroeconomic stress and a softening demand backdrop, Barclays analyst Ramsey El-Assal on Tuesday downgraded Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX) inventory to Underweight from Equal Weight whereas additionally chopping shares of Fidelity National Information Systems (NYSE:FIS) to Equal Weight from Overweight.

On the opposite aspect of the fence, the analyst named the next fintechs as his most favored lengthy concepts for 2023: Fiserv (NASDAQ:FISV), PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL), Block (NYSE:SQ) and Repay (NASDAQ:RPAY).

Over the previous couple of years, “many high-quality property have de-rated alongside extra weak shares, with many potential champions within the sector extra ‘out of favor’ slightly than structurally challenged,” he wrote in a notice, calling for a extra selective stock-picking method as sentiment begins to enhance.

For FIS, whereas El-Assal expects the corporate to enhance development in its service provider section within the quarters forward, he warned that macro and cyclical stress is about to weigh on its banking and capital markets section in 2023. In addition, “strategic options will likely be robust to consummate given greater financing prices and decrease market valuations for Fintech.”

In December 2022, Jefferies additionally eliminated its bullish ranking on FIS on expectations that margins are unlikely to broaden till the again half of 2023, in addition to decelerating banking development.

The downbeat protection of PAYX comes as “a softening demand atmosphere and slowdown in new enterprise formations could have an outsized impression on PAYX’s top-line outcomes, primarily because of the firm’s publicity to small companies,” the analyst contended.

Seeking Alpha contributor ProgressInvesting gave PAYX a Hold ranking, arguing its valuation is simply too excessive and prospects for slower income development this 12 months.

Both PAYX and FIS drifted down, 1% and 0.1%, respectively, in morning buying and selling.

Meanwhile, fellow SA contributor The Outsider considered PYPL as a Buy given its stable development prospects over the medium time period, and its “valuation is simply too low-cost.”