PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Stock Rating Upgraded by Cantor Fitzgerald

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) was upgraded by equities researchers at Cantor Fitzgerald to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Compass Point cut their price target on PayPal from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Redburn Partners set a $50.00 price objective on shares of PayPal in a research report on Wednesday. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut shares of PayPal from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, HSBC reduced their target price on PayPal from $93.00 to $72.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.10.

PayPal Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PYPL opened at $54.08 on Tuesday. PayPal has a twelve month low of $53.65 and a twelve month high of $90.93. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $59.29 and its 200-day moving average is $65.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.84, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.42.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The credit services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.14. PayPal had a net margin of 14.96% and a return on equity of 25.64%. The business had revenue of $8.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.21 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.20 EPS. PayPal’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that PayPal will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at PayPal

In other PayPal news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.87, for a total transaction of $860,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 30,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,133,799.21. This represents a 28.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Aaron Webster sold 9,282 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.29, for a total value of $615,303.78. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 35,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,366,486.71. This represents a 20.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 25,944 shares of company stock worth $1,725,233. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PayPal

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Thompson Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of PayPal by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Thompson Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,991 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $11,519,000 after buying an additional 4,165 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in PayPal by 15.5% in the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 164,901 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $11,058,000 after acquiring an additional 22,139 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in PayPal by 7.9% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,292,583 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $291,338,000 after acquiring an additional 313,180 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in PayPal during the 3rd quarter valued at $13,210,000. Finally, Ariose Capital Management Ltd increased its position in PayPal by 347.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ariose Capital Management Ltd now owns 193,100 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $12,949,000 after purchasing an additional 149,898 shares during the period. 68.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PayPal reported survey results showing rising merchant adoption of crypto payments (nearly 40% of U.S. merchants accept crypto), supporting PayPal’s payments/crypto strategy and potential revenue growth from new payment flows. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: PayPal agreed to acquire e-commerce platform Cymbio to expand its agentic commerce push — an M&A move that could help broaden merchant services and drive long‑term GMV and revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage pieces note product expansion (gift cards, integrated tax filing) that could diversify revenue and increase engagement if executed well. Investors see this as incremental upside to payments and consumer services. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect Q4 results (reporting Feb 3). JPMorgan expects a revenue beat with in‑line earnings, so upcoming guidance and Q4 details will be closely watched. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: HSBC cut its price target from $93 to $72 but kept a Buy rating — a downgrade to the target that tempers upside expectations while still signaling conviction in the long term. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage with a Neutral/Hold — another sign that some sell‑side desks view valuation and near‑term execution as balanced rather than a clear buy. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded PayPal to Sell and cut the price target to $50, signaling near‑term downside risk (≈7–8% from current levels) and putting pressure on the stock ahead of earnings. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Critical analyst commentary and deep-dive pieces highlight a brutal competitive landscape and execution risks, which amplify investor concerns about growth sustainability and margin pressure. Article Title

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.