Argus Issues Pessimistic Forecast for PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Stock Price

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) had its price target dropped by research analysts at Argus from $87.00 to $65.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the credit services provider’s stock. Argus’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 60.81% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of PayPal from $67.00 to $48.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Tuesday. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of PayPal from $90.00 to $63.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group downgraded PayPal from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $77.00 to $61.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $63.72.

PayPal Trading Up 1.3%

NASDAQ PYPL opened at $40.42 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $57.18 and its 200-day moving average is $64.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.47, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.43. PayPal has a one year low of $38.88 and a one year high of $79.50.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The credit services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.06). PayPal had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 25.42%. The company had revenue of $8.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that PayPal will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 4,162 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.84, for a total transaction of $249,054.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 30,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,854,022.72. This trade represents a 11.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Aaron Webster sold 9,282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.29, for a total transaction of $615,303.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 35,699 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,366,486.71. This trade represents a 20.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PayPal

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of PayPal by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,577 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $617,000 after acquiring an additional 3,797 shares during the period. Legato Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PayPal by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 42,628 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,489,000 after purchasing an additional 8,101 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PayPal by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 4,594 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 557 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of PayPal by 119.5% in the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 12,099 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $706,000 after purchasing an additional 6,588 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Markets Cayman LP increased its holdings in PayPal by 20.8% during the 4th quarter. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP now owns 103,752 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $6,057,000 after purchasing an additional 17,876 shares during the period. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More PayPal News

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Deep-value case and buyback/dividend plan underpin a near-term bargain narrative; bulls point to low forward P/E, strong free cash flow and discretionary buybacks/new dividend as a potential floor. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Some investors view a new CEO as a catalyst — profiles of Enrique Lores suggest his turnaround/operational experience could help execution if appointed. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Several bullish commentaries argue long-term investors can be rewarded if PayPal stabilizes its product growth and execution — fueling bargain-hunting bounces. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Compass Point moved to Neutral, reflecting that some uncertainty (CEO transition, guidance) is now priced in — not a clear buy/sell signal. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are split: many cut targets and some keep “buy”/“outperform” calls, leaving consensus views mixed and volatility likely as estimates are re-worked. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results disappointed — EPS and revenue missed expectations and management issued lower 2026 guidance, which triggered the initial selloff and higher volatility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Alex Chriss was fired amid the branded-checkout slowdown and guidance cut; leadership turnover increases execution risk during a sensitive transition. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/litigation risk surfaced: a securities investigation was announced into the gap between prior outlook and reported results, adding legal and disclosure uncertainty. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy analyst price-target cuts, downgrades and visible insider selling amplified the selloff and investor caution this week. Read More.

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.