PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Shares Up 0.7% - Here's What Happened

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) traded up 0.7% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $65.31 and last traded at $65.25. 2,063,100 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 11,432,269 shares. The stock had previously closed at $64.77.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on PYPL. DZ Bank upgraded PayPal from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $92.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Arete Research set a $81.00 target price on shares of PayPal in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of PayPal from $85.00 to $76.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Macquarie upped their price objective on shares of PayPal from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Compass Point assumed coverage on PayPal in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "sell" rating and a $56.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PayPal presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $85.88.

PayPal Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $64.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company's 50-day moving average is $67.03 and its 200-day moving average is $78.72.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.48 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 transaction of $176,478.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 29,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,145,308.10. This trade represents a 7.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of PayPal

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. LifePlan Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PayPal by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. LifePlan Financial LLC now owns 23,072 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,505,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank increased its position in shares of PayPal by 0.4% during the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 198,099 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $12,926,000 after acquiring an additional 846 shares in the last quarter. Buttonwood Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in PayPal by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Buttonwood Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 7,099 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in PayPal by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 36,747 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,398,000 after purchasing an additional 1,673 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of PayPal by 10.0% in the first quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 8,041 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $525,000 after purchasing an additional 731 shares during the last quarter. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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