PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Rating Lowered to "Hold" at StockNews.com

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on PYPL. Bank of America raised PayPal from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $86.00 to $103.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Macquarie increased their target price on PayPal from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of PayPal from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of PayPal from $85.00 to $76.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of PayPal from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $92.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with 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 company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.40.

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PayPal Trading Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ PYPL traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $66.10. 7,997,855 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,219,273. PayPal has a 52 week low of $56.97 and a 52 week high of $93.66. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $75.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.83. The stock has a market cap of $65.39 billion, a PE ratio of 16.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.52.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gail J. Mcgovern sold 2,446 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,145,308.10. This represents a 7.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of PayPal

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC boosted its holdings in PayPal by 113.8% in the fourth quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC now owns 7,470 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $638,000 after purchasing an additional 3,976 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in PayPal during the third quarter valued at approximately $387,435,000. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. lifted its holdings in PayPal by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 697,077 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $59,489,000 after acquiring an additional 18,172 shares during the period. Fortem Financial Group LLC boosted its position in PayPal by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC now owns 33,302 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,842,000 after purchasing an additional 7,291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of PayPal by 120.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,555,240 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $125,461,000 after purchasing an additional 849,311 shares during the period. 68.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.