PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at Loop Capital

Research analysts at Loop Capital began coverage on shares of PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) in a report released on Tuesday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating and a $46.00 price target on the credit services provider’s stock. Loop Capital’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 2.98% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on PYPL. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of PayPal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Compass Point upgraded shares of PayPal from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $51.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. BTIG Research restated a “neutral” rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PayPal presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $58.11.

PayPal Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of PYPL opened at $44.67 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 has a market cap of $41.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.26, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $46.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $57.83. PayPal has a 52-week low of $38.46 and a 52-week high of $79.50.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at PayPal

In related news, EVP Frank Keller sold 29,581 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.02, for a total transaction of $1,361,317.62. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 51,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,373,113.34. The trade was a 36.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Chris Natali sold 2,208 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.73, for a total value of $98,763.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,992.20. This represents a 65.95% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 87,608 shares of company stock worth $3,831,535. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PayPal

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PYPL. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in PayPal during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of PayPal by 15,233.3% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 460 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 457 shares during the period. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in shares of PayPal in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in PayPal during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in PayPal during the third quarter worth about $30,000. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PayPal News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Shares rose as the broader market dipped, with traders favoring PayPal’s relative strength and short-term momentum. Paypal (PYPL) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts
• Positive Sentiment: Venmo continues to be a growth engine — TPV and revenues are rising, the user base topped 100M, and PayPal is pushing Venmo into ~90 international markets, supporting longer-term monetization hopes. PayPal Expands Venmo: Will It Become a Global Commerce Engine?
• Neutral Sentiment: PYPL is drawing elevated investor attention and screening activity on financial sites, which can amplify intraday moves but is not a directional fundamental. PayPal Expands Venmo: Will It Become a Global Commerce Engine?
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities firms have filed or alerted investors to class actions alleging PayPal misled shareholders after a surprise CEO ouster and the withdrawal of long-term targets; plaintiffs point to statements about branded checkout growth and product readiness. These coordinated filings and an April 20 lead‑plaintiff deadline increase legal overhang and could pressure the stock. PYPL SHAREHOLDER NOTICE: Hagens Berman Alerts PayPal (PYPL) Investors to Securities Class Action Following CEO Ouster and $10B Market Cap Wipeout PYPL Investors Have Opportunity to Lead PayPal Holdings, Inc. Securities Fraud Lawsuit with the Schall Law Firm
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory scrutiny around crypto enforcement is in flux after recent SEC actions and leadership changes; a Senate probe highlights uncertainty that could affect PayPal’s crypto/stablecoin expansion plans and related revenue streams. Senator Blumenthal Probes SEC Crypto Case Pullback After Enforcement Chief’s Sudden Exit

About PayPal

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.