Clear Str Upgrades PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) to “Hold”

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) was upgraded by analysts at Clear Str to a “hold” rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on PYPL. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Thursday. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on PayPal from $41.00 to $43.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on PayPal from $50.00 to $45.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of PayPal from $46.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 29th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.61.

PayPal Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PYPL opened at $56.56 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $44.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.23. PayPal has a 52 week low of $38.46 and a 52 week high of $79.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.61, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The credit services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $8.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.05 billion. PayPal had a return on equity of 25.02% and a net margin of 15.00%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.33 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that PayPal will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Frank Keller sold 10,732 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.96, for a total transaction of $536,170.72. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,076,687.32. This trade represents a 20.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Chris Natali sold 1,337 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.46, for a total value of $66,128.02. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,586 shares in the company, valued at $78,443.56. This represents a 45.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 20,612 shares of company stock worth $966,623. 0.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PayPal

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Maia Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of PayPal by 2.5% during the third quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 6,404 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $424,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its position in PayPal by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 3,214 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in PayPal by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 9,374 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Formidable Asset Management LLC increased its stake in PayPal by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC now owns 25,937 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,173,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. Finally, KPP Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in PayPal by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,625 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $300,000 after buying an additional 214 shares during the period. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The reported takeover interest from Stripe and Advent has fueled speculation that PayPal could be worth more than the current offer, with several analysts and investors arguing the bid is too low. Reuters: PayPal board sees Stripe-Advent offer as inadequate, sources say
• Positive Sentiment: Some market commentary suggests the bid could force a higher valuation for PYPL, potentially supporting further upside if negotiations continue or a competing offer emerges. Yahoo Finance: Cantor sees potential for higher PayPal offer as analysis suggests $70/share value
• Neutral Sentiment: PayPal’s board has reportedly not formally responded yet, so the deal is still early-stage and subject to negotiation, financing, and regulatory risk. Yahoo Finance weekly review
• Negative Sentiment: The board is said to view the $53 billion proposal as inadequate, which could mean a longer path to any deal or no deal at all if a higher price does not materialize. PYMNTS: PayPal Board Calls $53 Billion Stripe-Advent Bid Inadequate

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.