PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Stock Rating Upgraded by Clear Str

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) was upgraded by analysts at Clear Str to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also commented on PYPL. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of PayPal in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. They set a “market perform” rating and a $52.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of PayPal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of PayPal from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of PayPal from $41.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.61.

PayPal Price Performance

PYPL opened at $56.73 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. PayPal has a 52-week low of $38.46 and a 52-week high of $79.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.04 billion, a PE ratio of 10.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.33. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $44.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.16.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The credit services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $8.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.05 billion. PayPal had a return on equity of 25.02% and a net margin of 15.00%.The firm’s revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.33 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that PayPal will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at PayPal

In other news, insider Frank Keller sold 10,732 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.96, for a total transaction of $536,170.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,076,687.32. This trade represents a 20.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Chris Natali sold 1,337 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.46, for a total value of $66,128.02. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,586 shares in the company, valued at approximately $78,443.56. This represents a 45.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 20,612 shares of company stock valued at $966,623. Corporate insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA grew its stake in shares of PayPal by 0.8% in the second quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 37,877 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,636,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of PayPal by 2.8% during the second quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,347 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $620,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of PayPal by 27.4% in the 2nd quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 44,255 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,911,000 after purchasing an additional 9,525 shares during the last quarter. Independent Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in PayPal by 63.0% in the 2nd quarter. Independent Financial Group LLC now owns 9,899 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 3,827 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. grew its position in PayPal by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. now owns 680,019 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $29,363,000 after purchasing an additional 2,602 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.32% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PayPal surged after reports that Stripe and Advent made a $53 billion acquisition offer at $60.50 per share, creating a takeover premium and boosting investor optimism. Reuters: Stripe, Advent offer to buy PayPal for more than $53 billion
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investors are arguing the bid undervalues PayPal, with some estimates pointing to a higher fair value around $70 a share or more, which keeps takeover speculation alive. Article: Cantor sees potential for higher PayPal offer as analysis suggests $70/share value
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $55 and Canaccord lifted its target to $55, signaling some improvement in outlook, though both targets remain below the recent trading level. Article: Paypal (PYPL) Gains As Market Dips: What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: PayPal’s board is reportedly viewing the Stripe-Advent proposal as inadequate, suggesting negotiations could continue and the final outcome is still uncertain. Reuters: PayPal board sees Stripe-Advent offer as inadequate, sources say
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and financing hurdles could complicate or delay any deal, which may temper some of the takeover enthusiasm if no quick resolution emerges. Reuters: PayPal board sees Stripe-Advent offer as inadequate, sources say

About PayPal

PayPal Holdings, Inc operates a global digital payments platform that enables consumers and merchants to send and receive payments online, on mobile devices and at the point of sale. The company provides a broad set of payment solutions, including a digital wallet, merchant payment processing, checkout services, invoicing and fraud-management tools. PayPal’s platform is designed to support e-commerce, in-person retail and person-to-person transfers, targeting both individual consumers and businesses of varying sizes.

Key products and services in PayPal’s portfolio include the PayPal wallet and checkout ecosystem, the Venmo peer-to-peer mobile app, Braintree’s developer-focused payment gateway, Xoom for international money transfers, and PayPal Credit and buy-now-pay-later options.