PayPal Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:PYPL)

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 124,402 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 35% compared to the typical volume of 92,203 call options.

PayPal Trading Up 3.4 %

NASDAQ:PYPL traded up $2.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $62.59. The stock had a trading volume of 12,914,497 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,486,563. 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 of $69.88 and a 200 day moving average of $79.77. The company has a market capitalization of $61.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.61, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.60. PayPal has a one year low of $55.85 and a one year high of $93.66.

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

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on PYPL. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of PayPal from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on PayPal from $85.00 to $76.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Arete Research set a $81.00 price target on shares of PayPal in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of PayPal from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $88.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other PayPal news, Director Gail J. Mcgovern sold 2,446 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 29,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,145,308.10. This trade represents a 7.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of PayPal

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Park Place Capital Corp grew its stake in shares of PayPal by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 1,886 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $161,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its position in PayPal by 67.6% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 310 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in PayPal by 33.2% during the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 502 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Wynn Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of PayPal by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 11,515 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $983,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Avalon Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of PayPal by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 2,067 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $176,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.32% of the company's stock.

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.