Natixis Buys 20,474 Shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL)

Natixis raised its position in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 35.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 77,459 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 20,474 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in PayPal were worth $6,611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PYPL. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its position in shares of PayPal by 67.6% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 310 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in PayPal by 344.3% in the 4th quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 351 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PayPal during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in shares of PayPal during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PayPal Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of PYPL traded up $1.12 on Wednesday, hitting $62.54. 9,794,638 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,451,689. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $78.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $55.85 and a one year high of $93.66. The company has a market capitalization of $61.87 billion, a PE ratio of 15.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.60.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.08. PayPal had a return on equity of 23.67% and a net margin of 13.04%. The firm had revenue of $8.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.48 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gail J. Mcgovern sold 2,446 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.15, for a total value of $176,478.90. Following the transaction, the director now owns 29,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,145,308.10. This trade represents a 7.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PYPL. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded PayPal from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Arete Research set a $81.00 price objective on PayPal in a report on Thursday, March 27th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on PayPal from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of PayPal from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PayPal currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $85.88.

About PayPal

PayPal Holdings, Inc operates a technology platform that enables digital payments on behalf of merchants and consumers worldwide. It operates a two-sided network at scale that connects merchants and consumers that enables its customers to connect, transact, and send and receive payments through online and in person, as well as transfer and withdraw funds using various funding sources, such as bank accounts, PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products comprising its installment products, credit and debit cards, and cryptocurrencies, as well as other stored value products, including gift cards and eligible rewards.