PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Arete Research set a $81.00 target price on PayPal in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their price target on shares of PayPal from $120.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $85.88.

PayPal Stock Performance

NASDAQ PYPL traded up $0.46 on Wednesday, reaching $65.23. The stock had a trading volume of 5,534,068 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,446,739. PayPal has a 1-year low of $55.85 and a 1-year high of $93.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The company has a market cap of $64.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $67.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $78.72.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $8.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.27 billion. PayPal had a net margin of 13.04% and a return on equity of 23.67%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.48 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that PayPal will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at PayPal

In other PayPal news, Director Gail J. Mcgovern sold 2,446 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.15, for a total transaction of $176,478.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,145,308.10. The trade was a 7.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PayPal

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PYPL. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of PayPal in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PayPal during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its stake in PayPal by 67.6% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 310 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in PayPal by 344.3% during the fourth quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 351 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in PayPal in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 68.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

PayPal Company Profile

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.