PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Shares Down 0.4% – Should You Sell?

Shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) dropped 0.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $68.70 and last traded at $69.71. Approximately 1,938,087 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 10,831,880 shares. The stock had previously closed at $69.97.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. DZ Bank upgraded PayPal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $92.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of PayPal from $85.00 to $76.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of PayPal from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Macquarie raised their price target on PayPal from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of PayPal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.03.

PayPal Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $64.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.52. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last issued its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $8.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at PayPal

In related news, Director Gail J. Mcgovern sold 2,446 shares of PayPal 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 owns 29,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,145,308.10. The trade was a 7.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of PayPal

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PayPal during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. 111 Capital bought a new stake in PayPal during the fourth quarter worth about $2,916,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in PayPal by 62.1% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 119,207 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $10,174,000 after buying an additional 45,670 shares in the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its holdings in PayPal by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 114,630 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $9,784,000 after buying an additional 583 shares during the period. Finally, Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new position in shares of PayPal in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,676,000. 68.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.