Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Sells 18,027 Shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC reduced its stake in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 169,711 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 18,027 shares during the quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in PayPal were worth $11,381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MUFG Securities EMEA plc boosted its holdings in shares of PayPal by 100.4% during the 2nd quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 385 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 87,524 shares during the period. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in PayPal during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in PayPal during the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal in the second quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of PayPal by 285.3% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 524 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.32% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 37,613 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.49, for a total value of $1,560,563.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 30,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,285,484.67. This represents a 54.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Frank Keller sold 3,478 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 51,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,072,993.40. This trade represents a 6.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 42,304 shares of company stock worth $1,749,493. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on PYPL. Wall Street Zen cut PayPal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 18th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their price target on PayPal from $50.00 to $32.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. HSBC lowered shares of PayPal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $47.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Tuesday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.03.

Key Headlines Impacting PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Preliminary takeover chatter (Stripe reportedly considering buying some or all of PayPal) triggered a surge, a trading halt and heavy volume — that event put a near-term bid under the stock and attracted options/call buying. Stripe weighs acquisition of PayPal (Proactive)
• Positive Sentiment: Follow-through market action: outsized call-option flow and elevated trading volume signaled institutional/speculative buyers betting on either a deal or continued re-rating, increasing short-term upside optionality. M&A News: PayPal Stock Soars (TipRanks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic/valuation analysis: several deep-dive pieces argue PayPal is materially undervalued on cash flow and asset value, outlining scenarios (sale, breakup, turnaround) that could justify higher prices — useful context but not an immediate catalyst without deal confirmation. PayPal’s Brutal Reset Hides A Cash Machine (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/operational coverage (FT): in‑depth pieces examine structural problems and the need for reinvention — informs long-term thesis but does not change near‑term outcome absent corporate action. What went wrong at PayPal (Financial Times)
• Negative Sentiment: Follow-up reporting cooled the buyout narrative: several outlets and PayPal-adjacent reporting said the company is not in active sale talks, which removed the immediate M&A bid and helped push shares lower. PayPal might not be looking to sell itself (TechCrunch)
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and disclosure pressure: multiple law firms and investor‑rights groups have filed/class‑action notices and launched investigations into PayPal’s disclosures and key metrics — these increase litigation risk, potential settlement costs, and investor uncertainty. Bragar Eagel & Squire reminder of class actions (GlobeNewswire)
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings/guidance and analyst pressure: recent Q4 results missed some estimates and management gave cautious 2026 guidance; analysts have been cautious (including a recent sell/negative view), which keeps downward pressure until execution improves. PYPL Falls Despite Earnings Growth (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/market structure risks: a disclosure probe and rising short interest magnify volatility and downside risk if no deal materializes or guidance disappoints. Investigation into metrics/disclosures (PR Newswire)

PayPal Stock Down 3.8%

PYPL opened at $45.53 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $41.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $51.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.57. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.46 and a fifty-two week high of $79.50.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The credit services provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. PayPal’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

PayPal Announces Dividend

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

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.