ProShare Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL

ProShare Advisors LLC reduced its position in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) by 20.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,231,761 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 312,874 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.13% of PayPal worth $82,602,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in PayPal by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,989 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 924 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in PayPal during the 4th quarter worth approximately $248,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of PayPal by 41.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,470 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $332,000 after purchasing an additional 1,310 shares in the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PayPal in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Finally, PDS Planning Inc boosted its stake in shares of PayPal by 17.1% during the 2nd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 3,988 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $296,000 after buying an additional 582 shares during the last quarter. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on PYPL. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on shares of PayPal from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. KeyCorp restated a “hold” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Raymond James Financial set a $48.00 price target on PayPal in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $44.00 price objective on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $52.00 price objective on PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, PayPal has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $62.46.

PayPal Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PYPL opened at $41.15 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $56.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.01. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.88 and a 52 week high of $79.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.61, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last announced 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 business had revenue of $8.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.82 billion. PayPal had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 25.42%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. Analysts anticipate that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

PayPal Dividend Announcement

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

PayPal News Roundup

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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other PayPal news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 4,162 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.84, for a total value of $249,054.08. Following the transaction, the insider 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Frank Keller sold 3,478 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.20, for a total value of $139,815.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 51,567 shares in the company, valued at $2,072,993.40. The trade was a 6.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.