PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL Shares Bought by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) by 65.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,123,978 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,035,268 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in PayPal were worth $231,757,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Maia Wealth LLC raised its holdings in PayPal by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 6,404 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $424,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its stake in PayPal by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 3,214 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PayPal by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 9,374 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $547,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PayPal by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC now owns 25,937 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,173,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KPP Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of PayPal by 3.3% in the first quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,625 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $300,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. 68.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting PayPal

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that PayPal rejected a $53 billion takeover bid because the board believes the company is worth more are fueling takeover premium speculation for PayPal (PYPL). PayPal Rejected a $53 Billion Takeover Bid: Is the Stock Undervalued?
• Positive Sentiment: Some commentary says PayPal could still be undervalued despite the bid, citing strategic assets like Venmo, PYUSD, and improving operating trends. PayPal Says a $53 Billion Takeover Offer from Stripe Undervalues It. How to Play PYPL Stock Here.
• Neutral Sentiment: An analyst remained on the sidelines despite the takeover chatter, suggesting investors are still waiting for clearer evidence that a deal or turnaround will materialize. Analyst Stays on Sidelines for PYPL Despite Stripe, Advent Buyout Offer
• Neutral Sentiment: PayPal also faces a near-term earnings backdrop that some previews say could be softer, which may limit upside if the company does not deliver a strong quarter. Earnings Preview: Paypal (PYPL) Q2 Earnings Expected to Decline
• Negative Sentiment: Longer-term coverage still highlights slowing growth and stronger competition, which is why the stock remains vulnerable if the takeover narrative fades. How PayPal went from Wall Street favorite to unwilling merger target

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 3,379 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.79, for a total value of $144,587.41. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 30,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,325,762.57. This trade represents a 9.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 shares were 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. The trade was a 45.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 20,612 shares of company stock valued at $966,623. Company insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

PayPal Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of PYPL opened at $55.51 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $48.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.33. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.46 and a 12-month high of $79.50. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $45.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

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

PayPal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 4th. PayPal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on PayPal from $41.00 to $43.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Daiwa Securities Group raised PayPal from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on PayPal from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.61.

PayPal Company Profile

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.