AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Purchases 223,265 Shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL

Key Points

• AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its PayPal stake by 64.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 223,265 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 571,785 shares worth about $33.4 million.
• Other institutional investors also raised their positions, and 68.32% of PayPal’s stock is now held by institutions and hedge funds, showing continued big-money interest in the name.
• PayPal reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $1.34 versus estimates of $1.27 and revenue of $8.35 billion, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Hold” with a $55.85 target price.

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its position in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 64.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 571,785 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 223,265 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned about 0.06% of PayPal worth $33,381,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in shares of PayPal by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 52,689 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,079,000 after acquiring an additional 9,377 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its holdings in PayPal by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 21,966 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $1,282,000 after purchasing an additional 1,704 shares during the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in PayPal by 165.2% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 2,567 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $150,000 after purchasing an additional 1,599 shares during the last quarter. Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC boosted its position in PayPal by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC now owns 25,470 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $1,487,000 after purchasing an additional 7,500 shares during the period. Finally, Navalign LLC increased its holdings in shares of PayPal by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Navalign LLC now owns 16,409 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $958,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at PayPal

In related news, insider Frank Keller sold 10,732 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.96, for a total value of $536,170.72. Following the transaction, the insider owned 41,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,076,687.32. This trade represents a 20.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,586 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $78,443.56. This trade represents 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 three months, insiders have sold 96,199 shares of company stock valued at $4,294,018. 0.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on PYPL shares. Zacks Research raised shares of PayPal from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of PayPal from $90.00 to $63.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of PayPal from $45.00 to $44.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of PayPal in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set a "market perform" rating and a $52.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore reduced their price objective on PayPal from $65.00 to $40.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PayPal currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $55.85.

PayPal Price Performance

NASDAQ:PYPL opened at $45.04 on Friday. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.46 and a 52 week high of $79.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $46.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $53.14. The firm has a market cap of $39.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.39.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The credit services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.07. PayPal had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 25.02%. The firm had revenue of $8.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.33 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PayPal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. PayPal's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.51%.

More PayPal News

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PayPal’s Q1 results beat expectations, with revenue up 7% year over year and adjusted EPS above estimates, keeping the “too cheap to ignore” valuation debate alive. Is PayPal Stock Too Cheap to Ignore?
• Positive Sentiment: PayPal expanded its AI push by partnering with Anthropic to offer small-business AI training and tools, which could support long-term growth and platform stickiness. PayPal and Anthropic Take AI to Main Street Businesses
• Positive Sentiment: PayPal also announced a goal to support 25 million people and small businesses by 2030, reinforcing its growth and small-business focus. PayPal (PYPL) Vows to Support 25 Million People and Small Businesses By 2030
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market commentary pieces argued that PayPal may be undervalued after recent weakness, but these were opinion-driven rather than new fundamental catalysts. What Could This Step Mean For PayPal Holdings Inc (PYPL) Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: PayPal reached a $30 million DOJ settlement over a prior diversity-related program, adding legal cost and keeping governance concerns in focus. PayPal reaches $30 million DOJ settlement over 2020 program for Black-owned businesses
• Negative Sentiment: One Yahoo Finance piece said PYPL remains risky and suggested another stock instead, echoing broader investor caution after the stock’s steep slide. 2 Reasons PYPL is Risky and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

About PayPal

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.

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