PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) CAO Sells $98,763.84 in Stock

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) CAO Chris Natali sold 2,208 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.73, for a total value of $98,763.84. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,992.20. This represents a 65.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Chris Natali also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, February 17th, Chris Natali sold 1,213 shares of PayPal stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.49, for a total value of $49,114.37.

PayPal Price Performance

NASDAQ:PYPL traded up $0.37 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $46.75. 14,596,466 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 31,689,754. 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 $43.04 billion, a PE ratio of 8.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.43. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.46 and a 1 year high of $79.50. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $51.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.99.

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

PayPal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. PayPal’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on PYPL shares. Robert W. Baird set a $52.00 price target on shares of PayPal in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Evercore cut their price objective on PayPal from $65.00 to $40.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of PayPal from $60.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on shares of PayPal from $60.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their target price on PayPal from $90.00 to $63.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $59.55.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PayPal

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in PayPal in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in PayPal in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new position in PayPal in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of PayPal in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.32% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Partnership to speed freight invoice settlements — PayPal’s collaboration with TCS Blockchain to enable digital-asset settlement for freight invoices promises faster, cheaper settlement for carriers, a tangible revenue/utility push into logistics payments. TCS Blockchain and PayPal Drive Financial Innovation
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded merchant integrations — CellPoint Digital integration broadens PayPal’s merchant reach in travel and retail, easing adoption friction and potentially boosting TPV and checkout share. CellPoint Digital and PayPal Partner
• Positive Sentiment: Contrarian bullish research — at least one sell-side/independent piece argues valuation and catalysts make PYPL attractive, offering a counter-narrative that can support upside interest from value/seeking investors. PayPal Is Attractive At $70
• Neutral Sentiment: Buyout/takeover speculation persists — market chatter about potential acquirers (e.g., Stripe interest) adds M&A optionality but is uncertain; such rumors can boost trading but bring little near-term clarity. PayPal Buyout Rumors
• Negative Sentiment: Wave of securities class-action filings — multiple law firms have filed or solicited lead plaintiffs alleging misleading guidance and projections tied to an FY/Q4 shortfall; legal risk increases headline volatility and potential costs. Levi & Korsinsky Announces Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Recent Q4 miss and share weakness — PayPal’s Q4 revenue and EPS missed estimates, sparking a 12‑month low and fresh investor concern about growth trajectory and execution on branded checkout. PayPal Shares Plunge to 12-Month Low
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution — Bernstein and other boutiques are cautious/neutral (Bernstein reaffirmed Market Perform with a ~$45 target), citing deteriorating pricing power; downgrades or low price targets limit near-term upside. Bernstein Sees Limited Upside

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.