Baird Financial Group Inc. Sells 54,571 Shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group Inc. has reduced its stake in PayPal Holdings, Inc. by 30.2%, now holding 126,030 shares valued at approximately $8.22 million.
• PayPal reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $1.40, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.30, along with $8.29 billion in revenue for the quarter.
• Seventeen analysts rated PayPal stock as a "Buy" while suggesting an average price target of $85.00, indicating potential for future growth.

Baird Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 30.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 126,030 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 54,571 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in PayPal were worth $8,223,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. boosted its position in PayPal by 2.4% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 8,266 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PayPal by 27.8% in the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 684,222 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $44,645,000 after buying an additional 148,810 shares during the last quarter. Azora Capital LP bought a new position in shares of PayPal in the first quarter valued at $6,453,000. Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in PayPal by 65.7% during the first quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 37,545 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $2,450,000 after buying an additional 14,887 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its position in PayPal by 12.7% during the first quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 174,017 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $11,355,000 after acquiring an additional 19,622 shares in the last quarter. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PayPal Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PYPL traded down $0.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $68.26. 7,781,299 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,046,886. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $55.85 and a 52-week high of $93.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $71.77 and a 200 day moving average of $69.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The company has a market cap of $65.21 billion, a PE ratio of 14.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.43.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $8.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.08 billion. PayPal had a return on equity of 25.35% and a net margin of 14.49%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. PayPal has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.180-1.220 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 5.150-5.300 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PYPL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $75.00 price objective on PayPal in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of PayPal in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded PayPal from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PayPal presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $85.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 4,162 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.39, for a total value of $288,801.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 48,483 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,364,235.37. This represents a 7.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Diego Scotti sold 3,838 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.12, for a total value of $265,282.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,989 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,174,279.68. The trade was a 18.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,102 shares of company stock worth $1,046,607. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.