PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Shares Up 0% – Here’s Why

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) was up 0% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $71.62 and last traded at $70.88. 1,680,796 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 10,858,560 shares. The stock had previously closed at $70.86.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of PayPal from $92.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. BTIG Research reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of PayPal in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Macquarie lifted their price objective on PayPal from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $90.03.

PayPal Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $77.61 and its 200-day moving average is $80.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.48, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The credit services provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.08. PayPal had a return on equity of 23.67% and a net margin of 13.04%. The firm had revenue of $8.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.27 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.48 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other 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 value of $176,478.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,145,308.10. This trade represents a 7.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PYPL. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC lifted its position in PayPal by 113.8% during the fourth quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC now owns 7,470 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $638,000 after buying an additional 3,976 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of PayPal during the 3rd quarter valued at about $387,435,000. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PayPal by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 697,077 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $59,489,000 after purchasing an additional 18,172 shares during the period. Fortem Financial Group LLC increased its position in PayPal by 28.0% during the fourth quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC now owns 33,302 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,842,000 after purchasing an additional 7,291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in PayPal by 120.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,555,240 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $125,461,000 after purchasing an additional 849,311 shares during the period. 68.32% of the stock is 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.