Caxton Associates LLP Takes Position in PayPal Holdings, Inc. $PYPL

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP opened a new position in PayPal in the first quarter, buying 67,664 shares valued at about $3.06 million.
• PayPal has been getting mixed but generally improving analyst attention: Truist upgraded the stock to Hold with a $57 target, while TD Cowen moved it to Buy and the consensus rating remains Hold.
• Investor sentiment has also been lifted by reports of a possible $53 billion takeover bid from Stripe and Advent International, even as traders brace for earnings-driven volatility and focus on growth, margins, and competition.

Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 67,664 shares of the credit services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,060,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in PayPal during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of PayPal by 15,233.3% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 460 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in shares of PayPal during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in PayPal in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Advocate Investing Services LLC purchased a new position in PayPal in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 68.32% of the company's stock.

PayPal News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting PayPal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist Securities upgraded PayPal from Sell to Hold and raised its price target to $57 from $44, signaling improved confidence in the stock and helping sentiment around PYPL. Article: Benzinga report on Truist upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Stripe and Advent International have approached PayPal with a $53 billion takeover bid have fueled speculation that PYPL could be worth more in a deal, boosting investor interest. Article: Yahoo Finance takeover report
• Neutral Sentiment: Options traders are pricing in about an 8.8% swing around next week’s earnings, indicating elevated expectations and potential volatility rather than a clear directional view. Article: TipRanks earnings volatility report
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts say investors are focused on TPV growth, platform expansion, margins, and competition heading into earnings, with macro uncertainty still clouding the outlook. Article: Zacks preview
• Neutral Sentiment: PayPal remains a low-valuation name by market standards, with investors noting its roughly 11x earnings multiple and ongoing share repurchases as support for long-term value. Article: 24/7 Wall St. valuation note

Insider Transactions at PayPal

In other PayPal news, insider Suzan Kereere sold 3,379 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.79, for a total transaction of $144,587.41. Following the transaction, the insider owned 30,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,325,762.57. The trade was a 9.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Frank Keller sold 10,732 shares of PayPal stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.96, for a total transaction 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 20,612 shares of company stock worth $966,623 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PYPL has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on PayPal from $41.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Clear Str upgraded PayPal to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. TD Cowen upgraded PayPal from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on PayPal from $42.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of PayPal in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $54.96.

PayPal Stock Performance

Shares of PYPL opened at $56.15 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $49.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.33. The business's 50 day moving average price is $45.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.14. PayPal Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.46 and a 52 week high of $79.50.

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The credit services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.07. PayPal had a return on equity of 25.02% and a net margin of 15.00%.The company had revenue of $8.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.33 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that PayPal Holdings, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PayPal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 4th. PayPal's payout ratio is 10.51%.

PayPal Company Profile

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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