Allianz SE Increases Stake in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL)

Key Points

• Allianz SE significantly increased its stake in PayPal Holdings, Inc., buying an additional 22,392 shares, which raised its total ownership by 281.8%, reflecting a total of 30,338 shares valued at approximately $1,980,000.
• Insider activity included Director Deborah M. Messemer selling 3,795 shares at $73.00, decreasing her position by 21.36%, while company insiders have sold a total of 22,736 shares valued at $1,620,835 in the past three months.
• PayPal's stock performance shows a market capitalization of $64.12 billion with a P/E ratio of 14.34, reporting earnings of $1.40 EPS for the last quarter, above the consensus estimate of $1.30.

Allianz SE raised its position in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 281.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,338 shares of the credit services provider's stock after buying an additional 22,392 shares during the quarter. Allianz SE's holdings in PayPal were worth $1,980,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PYPL. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in PayPal during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in PayPal in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Evermay Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of PayPal by 726.0% in the 1st quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 413 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PayPal in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC grew its position in PayPal by 81.6% during the 1st quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 445 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.32% of the company's stock.

PayPal Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of PYPL stock traded down $0.18 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $67.83. 3,200,682 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,220,442. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.85 and a 12 month high of $93.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market cap of $64.80 billion, a PE ratio of 14.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.42. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $73.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.01.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $8.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.08 billion. PayPal had a return on equity of 25.35% and a net margin of 14.49%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at PayPal

In related news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 4,162 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.24, for a total transaction of $304,824.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 48,483 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,550,894.92. This represents a 7.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Diego Scotti sold 3,838 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.12, for a total value of $265,282.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,989 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,174,279.68. This trade represents a 18.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,736 shares of company stock valued at $1,620,835. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on PYPL. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered their price target on shares of PayPal from $120.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Compass Point assumed coverage on PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "sell" rating and a $56.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on PayPal in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $65.00 target price for the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $88.00 price target on shares of PayPal in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PayPal has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $84.57.

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.