Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Decreases Holdings in PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its position in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) by 35.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 43,312 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 24,164 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in PayPal were worth $2,905,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its stake in shares of PayPal by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 9,157 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $614,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA raised its holdings in PayPal by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 1,840 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $137,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in PayPal by 1.1% during the second quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,285 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,062,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in PayPal by 16.5% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,185 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in PayPal by 4.6% during the second quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,897 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.32% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at PayPal

In related news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 4,162 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.84, for a total value of $249,054.08. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 30,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,854,022.72. The trade was a 11.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Frank Keller sold 3,478 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.20, for a total value of $139,815.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 51,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,072,993.40. The trade was a 6.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Evercore reduced their target price on shares of PayPal from $65.00 to $40.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of PayPal from $50.00 to $34.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of PayPal from $62.00 to $45.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Compass Point raised shares of PayPal from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $51.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $62.46.

Key Headlines Impacting PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several bullish pieces argue the stock is oversold and present buying opportunities, which can attract value‑oriented investors and short‑covering demand. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Another Seeking Alpha piece lays out why the recent sell‑off may be overextended and highlights what could drive a rebound, supporting short‑term buying interest. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks flags PYPL as a trending/most‑watched stock, which can boost trading volume but doesn’t change fundamentals. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Argus trimmed its price target to $65 — a reduction but still above current levels; this is mixed news (smaller long‑term signal than the larger cuts below). Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein slashed its price target to $45 and moved to Market Perform, reducing analyst support and adding downward pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald cut its target to $42 and kept a Neutral rating, further trimming expectations and limiting near‑term upside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: PayPal is facing an active securities investigation announced by Levi & Korsinsky, which raises legal/financial risk and can prolong volatility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: An EVP, Frank Keller, sold ~3,478 shares (~6.3% reduction in his position) — insider selling can be read negatively even if not large relative to total float. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary asks how PayPal can turn its business around, reflecting investor concern about execution and growth — a sentiment headwind. Read More.

PayPal Price Performance

PYPL stock opened at $41.15 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $56.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.01. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $38.88 and a one year high of $79.50. The company has a market capitalization of $37.89 billion, a PE ratio of 7.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.43.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The credit services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $8.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.82 billion. PayPal had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 25.42%. The business’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PayPal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. PayPal’s payout ratio is 10.35%.

PayPal Company Profile

PayPal Holdings, Inc operates a global digital payments platform that enables consumers and merchants to send and receive payments online, on mobile devices and at the point of sale. The company provides a broad set of payment solutions, including a digital wallet, merchant payment processing, checkout services, invoicing and fraud-management tools. PayPal’s platform is designed to support e-commerce, in-person retail and person-to-person transfers, targeting both individual consumers and businesses of varying sizes.

Key products and services in PayPal’s portfolio include the PayPal wallet and checkout ecosystem, the Venmo peer-to-peer mobile app, Braintree’s developer-focused payment gateway, Xoom for international money transfers, and PayPal Credit and buy-now-pay-later options.