PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Earns Sell Rating from Analysts at Compass Point

Equities researchers at Compass Point began coverage on shares of PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm set a "sell" rating and a $56.00 price target on the credit services provider's stock. Compass Point's price objective would indicate a potential downside of 8.82% from the company's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on PYPL. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on PayPal from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. DZ Bank raised shares of PayPal from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $92.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Macquarie increased their price target on shares of PayPal from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Seaport Res Ptn cut PayPal from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.88.

PayPal Trading Up 1.9 %

NASDAQ:PYPL opened at $61.42 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a fifty day moving average of $67.60 and a 200 day moving average of $78.94. PayPal has a 52 week low of $55.85 and a 52 week high of $93.66.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PayPal

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of PayPal in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,086,508,000. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of PayPal by 108.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 17,924,106 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,529,823,000 after buying an additional 9,313,783 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of PayPal by 284.0% in the fourth quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 7,804,334 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $666,100,000 after buying an additional 5,772,198 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in shares of PayPal by 174.1% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 4,233,341 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $361,316,000 after buying an additional 2,689,162 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in PayPal by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,923,662 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,615,134,000 after acquiring an additional 2,161,582 shares in the last quarter. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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