PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Trading Up 4.4%

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL)’s stock price was up 4.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $63.15 and last traded at $63.14. Approximately 4,259,121 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 14,661,918 shares. The stock had previously closed at $60.46.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on PYPL shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of PayPal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of PayPal in a report on Thursday, July 11th. New Street Research started coverage on PayPal in a report on Friday, May 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup increased their price objective on PayPal from $79.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on PayPal from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.94.

PayPal Stock Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $60.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.24. The company has a market cap of $64.15 billion, a PE ratio of 15.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.42.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The credit services provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $7.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.82 billion. PayPal had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 22.82%. PayPal’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 4.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Deborah M. Messemer sold 4,422 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.65, for a total transaction of $272,616.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $861,620.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of PayPal

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PayPal by 77.5% in the 1st quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 394 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank bought a new position in shares of PayPal in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of PayPal in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in shares of PayPal in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Register Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of PayPal in the 1st quarter worth $30,000. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.