PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Stock Price Up 1% - What's Next?

Shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) were up 1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $68.48 and last traded at $68.17. Approximately 3,115,353 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 11,983,604 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.48.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PYPL. Barclays boosted their price target on PayPal from $92.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Macquarie boosted their price target on PayPal from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on PayPal from $92.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on PayPal from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, PayPal has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $90.03.

PayPal Trading Up 3.0 %

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 firm has a market cap of $68.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.52. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $82.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.09.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $8.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other PayPal news, Director Gail J. Mcgovern sold 2,446 shares of the firm'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 owns 29,734 shares in the company, valued at $2,145,308.10. This trade represents a 7.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PayPal

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC grew its stake in PayPal by 113.8% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in PayPal during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $387,435,000. United Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in PayPal during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $810,000. Equity Investment Corp lifted its holdings in PayPal by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,998,298 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $155,927,000 after buying an additional 67,497 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weil Company Inc. lifted its holdings in PayPal by 68.9% during the 3rd quarter. Weil Company Inc. now owns 41,689 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,253,000 after buying an additional 17,003 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.32% of the company's stock.

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.