Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL)

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its stake in PayPal Holdings, Inc. by 28.0% in the first quarter, now owning approximately 1.5 million shares worth about $98.9 million.
• PayPal's latest quarterly earnings exceeded expectations with an EPS of $1.40, beating the consensus estimate by $0.10, alongside revenue of $8.29 billion.
• Currently, about 68.32% of PayPal’s stock is owned by hedge funds and institutional investors, indicating significant institutional interest in the company.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) by 28.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,515,890 shares of the credit services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 331,675 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.16% of PayPal worth $98,912,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in PayPal in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Evermay Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 PayPal in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tsfg LLC raised its holdings in PayPal by 81.6% in the 1st quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 445 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in PayPal during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 68.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PayPal Stock Down 1.8%

PYPL opened at $69.38 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.07. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $55.85 and a 52 week high of $93.66. The company has a market capitalization of $66.28 billion, a PE ratio of 14.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The credit services provider reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.10. PayPal had a net margin of 14.49% and a return on equity of 25.35%. The business had revenue of $8.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. Analysts forecast that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at PayPal

In other PayPal news, CAO Chris Natali sold 7,102 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.35, for a total transaction of $492,523.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Diego Scotti sold 3,839 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 $281,168.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,989 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,244,274.36. This trade represents a 18.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 22,736 shares of company stock worth $1,620,835 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PYPL. Compass Point began coverage on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "sell" rating and a $56.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of PayPal from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $96.00 target price on shares of PayPal in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $75.00 target price on shares of PayPal in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on shares of PayPal in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They set a "sell" rating and a $68.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $85.00.

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.

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